41 New VA Coronavirus Deaths, 752 Hospital Patients Discharged

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 41 additional deaths due to the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 illness on Wednesday. Statewide, cases reached 6,500 and deaths totaled 195. Virginia's health department is not reporting statewide data on recoveries like its neighbors in Maryland and DC, but the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association says 752 hospitalized patients were discharged.

Virginia's number of cases represents an increase of 329 from Tuesday. Among the 6,500 total cases, 1,048 individuals are hospitalized. Last Wednesday, Virginia had 3,645 COVID-19 cases, 75 deaths and 615 hospitalizations.

The health department's hospitalization number slightly differs from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association's data tracker, which provides more detailed information on hospitalized patients. As of Wednesday, Virginia has 802 currently hospitalized patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and 496 who have pending test results. Of the confirmed and pending cases, 394 are in the intensive care unit and 234 are on ventilators.

The association says 695 of the available 2,865 ventilators at Virginia hospitals are in use as of Wednesday. That represents 24 percent ventilators currently in use. However, six hospitals reported difficulty in obtaining or replenishing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the next 72 hours.

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The Virginia Department of Health recently began sharing data on hospitalizations, deaths and testing by local health district. The Fairfax Health District reported 256 hospitalizations, more than double the hospitalizations of any other health district. The next highest totals are 83 in the Peninsula Health District, 64 in the Prince William Health District, 54 in Virginia Beach, 46 in Henrico County, 44 in Arlington County and 40 in Loudoun County.

Henrico County leads the state in deaths with 52, followed by 30 in the Fairfax Health District, 14 in Arlington County, 12 in the Peninsula Health District and 11 in the Prince William Health District.

Statewide, 44,169 people have been tested for COVID-19. The highest testing numbers by health district are 6,827 in the Fairfax Health District, 2,815 in the Prince William Health District, 2,760 in Virginia Beach, 2,107 in the Peninsula Health District and 1,985 in Arlington.

Patch will provide additional updates Wednesday afternoon as Gov. Ralph Northam holds a news conference. The governor is expected to make an announcement about extending the order that closed certain non-essential businesses and limited restaurants to takeout and delivery. The order would expire after April 23 unless extended. Northam's stay-at-home order is in effect through June 10.

New Virginia-specific modeling from the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute and the nonprofit RAND Corporation looks at the impact of social distancing efforts. Research indicates that Virginia residents' social distancing since mid-March has led to new cases holding steady and hospital bed capacity being enough in the immediate future. However, researchers suggest removing social distancing restrictions too soon could prompt a second wave of cases.

"While the data is limited, we can draw a few key conclusions: First, social distancing is important, and it’s working in Virginia," said Northam. "Second, while we continue to work closely with our hospital systems and other health care partners to prepare for a potential surge in acute cases, we are optimistic about our statewide hospital bed capacity. Finally, it’s clear we need to be responsible about how we ease restrictions, so we can keep Virginians safe and protect public health."

Northam encourages all residents to wear a cloth face mask for essential tasks like grocery shopping. The governor did not make wearing face coverings a requirement as leaders in the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Maryland opted to do. The Centers for Disease Control recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public places where physical distancing is hard to maintain.

SEE ALSO:

• Long-Term Care Residents At Risk From Coronavirus Test Shortage
• Virginia Pastor Dies After Testing Positive For Coronavirus
• Northam Plans To Extend Order For Non-Essential Business Closures