Virginia Coronavirus: Over 2,000 New Cases Reported Tuesday

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health on Tuesday reported 2,125 new cases of the coronavirus, continuing a steady rise in case averages that has trended upward since early October.

The new cases announced Tuesday follow release of a VDH backlog of cases on Monday totaling 2,677.

According to the VDH, the backlog was the result of the VDH data system being down for upgrades for a few hours over the weekend. Health officials say daily cases don't reflect the day the patient became ill. VDH also keeps data on confirmed cases by date of symptom onset.

Data may be incomplete for recent weeks, but November appears to have the day with the most cases by the start of symptoms. There were 1,297 cases with symptoms starting on Nov. 4, and the next highest was 1,290 on May 18.

The southwest region, which had lower cases in the earlier months of the pandemic, has seen an increase in recent months. While daily cases by symptom onset never reached 100 until June 22, the peak for the region so far is 404 on Oct. 28.

Tuesday’s new cases include 516 in the northern region, 331 in the eastern region, 550 in the southwest region, 282 in the central region, and 446 in the northwest region.

The statewide seven-day positive average of PCR tests is 7.3 percent as of Nov. 12, while regional averages are 11.4 percent in the southwest region, 8 percent in the northern region, 6.4 percent in the eastern region, and 5.7 percent in the northwest region and 6.3 percent in the central region.

Current hospitalizations are on the rise, reaching 1,392 on Tuesday, up by 55 from Monday. The seven-day average of COVID-19 patients is 1,314, not quite the 1,573 peak average on May 12. Hospitalizations by region include 343 in the southwest region, 362 in the northern region, 299 in the central region, 205 in the eastern region, and 183 in the northwest region.

According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, the 1,392 current COVID-19 patients include 103 on ventilators and 272 in the intensive care units. Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 26 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 73 percent. There are no hospitals reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment or other medical supplies in the next 72 hours.

Deaths reported by date have fluctuated throughout the pandemic, but deaths by date on the death certificate show a clearer trend. The peak days for deaths so far were May 5 (51 deaths) and April 30 (49 deaths). Numbers may be incomplete for recent weeks, but daily deaths so far have been less than half of the May 5 peak.

The VDH on Monday released guidance for Thanksgiving, encouraging Virginia residents to continue practicing coronavirus prevention measures like social distancing and hand-washing when celebrating the holiday.

Virginians are also encouraged to wear masks, eat outdoors when possible, get a flu shot before attending a gathering and use as many disposable items as possible to avoid contamination.

New restrictions last week limit public and private gatherings to 25 people whether the gathering is held indoors or outdoors.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Monday to Tuesday:

• Alexandria: 4,726 cases, 343 hospitalizations, 76 deaths; increase of 28 cases and two hospitalizations
• Arlington County: 5,454 cases, 561 hospitalizations, 157 deaths; increase of 74 cases
• Fairfax County: 2,7021 cases, 2,417 hospitalizations, 610 deaths; increase of 192 cases and seven hospitalizations
• Fairfax City: 187 cases, 16 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of three cases
• Falls Church: 83 cases, 14 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case
• Loudoun County: 8,954 cases, 520 hospitalizations, 136 deaths; increase of 60 cases and four hospitalizations
• Manassas: 2,162 cases, 133 hospitalizations, 28 deaths; increase of 11 cases
• Manassas Park: 680 cases, 59 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of three cases
• Prince William County: 16,123 cases, 1,052 hospitalizations, 229 deaths; increase of 144 cases and seven hospitalizations
• Fredericksburg: 639 cases, 55 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of one case
• Spotsylvania County: 2,791 cases, 170 hospitalizations, 56 deaths; increase of 21 cases and two hospitalizations
• Stafford County: 2,798 cases, 181 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of 26 cases and one hospitalization