Arlington Coronavirus Update: 2 Additional Deaths; 69 New Cases

ARLINGTON, VA — Virginia Department of Health confirmed 69 additional cases of COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, Wednesday in the Arlington Health District. That's up slightly from the 62 new cases reported on Tuesday. This brings the total number of cases to 7,594.

Two new deaths were reported in the Arlington Health District on Wednesday. These are the first COVID-19 related deaths reported in Arlington since Dec. 10. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Arlington remains at 166.

A total of 629 people have been hospitalized in Arlington due to COVID-19.

Gov. Ralph Northam was on hand Monday to welcome one of the first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine in Virginia at a Bon Secours hospital in Richmond. Virginia received an initial 72,150 doses Monday and Tuesday at health systems across the state. The first doses will be given to health care workers as early as Tuesday. Health care workers directly caring for COVID-19 patients will be given top priority for the first vaccines.

VDH reported a total of 36 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Arlington Health District on Wednesday.

There have been 24 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, seven in a congregate setting, one at a correctional facility, three in health care settings, and one at a college or a university.

The total number of cases associated with an outbreak is 739. There have been 270 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health care workers.

VDH reported that 126,396 COVID-19 tests have been taken in Arlington, with an 8.4 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 4,432,537 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 11 percent positivity rate.

There have been 292,240 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 4,508 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 16,352 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Globally, more than 73.6 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 1.6 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday morning. In the United States, more than 16.7 million people have been infected and over 303,000 people have died from COVID-19.

VDH breaks down the number of cases and deaths in Arlington by age, race and ethnicity. The breakdown by age is as follows:

Arlington residents should take the following actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Also see ...

• Arlington Coronavirus Update: Total Cases Top 7,500
• First COVID-19 Shipments Arrive In Virginia, Case Average Down
• New Coronavirus Case Numbers Drop After One-Day Spike
• Daily COVID-19 Cases Top 4,100 For First Time In Virginia
• Arlington Leader Welcomes Northam's New Coronavirus Mandates
• Statewide Curfew Mandated By Virginia Governor
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 2 Additional Deaths; 35 New Cases