Health & Fitness
VA Officials Report Jump In Coronavirus Cases In Richmond Area
The number of positive cases of the coronavirus increased by 230 in Virginia on Sunday, with deaths now standing at 51, officials said.
VIRGINIA — The number of reported positive cases of the new coronavirus increased by 230 in Virginia on Sunday, with deaths now standing at 51, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The 2,637 positive cases of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease, includes 431 hospitalizations, up from 390 hospitalizations on Saturday. Over the past two days, the number of reported deaths from COVID-19 has increased by five.
On Friday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he accepted final recommendations from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for three field hospital sites in response to the new coronavirus. The sites in the Richmond area, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia could be ready six weeks from now. State officials are eyeing May as the time a surge of COVID-19 cases hits the state.
The three hospital field sites are the Dulles Expo Center, the Richmond Convention Center and the Hampton Roads Convention Center. The Dulles Expo Center replaces the Exxon Mobil site across from Inova Fairfax Hospital as the field hospital site for Northern Virginia. Northam said the Dulles Expo Center is the site "where construction can proceed the fastest."
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The Fairfax County Health District, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, continues to have the most cases in the state, with 426 positive cases reported in the district. In the Richmond area, the number of positive cases has jumped significantly in recent days, with 194 people coming back with positive cases in Henrico County on Sunday, an increase of 82 cases since Friday.
Chesterfield, located south of Richmond, has 108 cases, up from from 89 cases on Friday. The City of Richmond has reported 99 positive cases. In southeast Virginia, Virginia Beach reported 170 positive cases as of Sunday, up from 128 cases on Friday.
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The growth in cases in James City County, the epicenter of the coronavirus in Virginia two weeks ago, has slowed slightly. The county reported a total of 117 positive cases Sunday, compared to 104 on Friday.
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State health data now shows that more women in Virginia have tested positive for the coronavirus. Women accounted for 1,330 positive cases as of Sunday, while men account for 1,257 cases. Data shows, however, that more men in the U.S. are dying from COVID-19, indicating that women are better at fighting it off.
Northam said the availability of personal protective equipment and testing kits have been challenges but are improving every day. He pointed to the limits of the national supply chain in getting states equipment as a reason why states are seeking equipment on their own.
For Virginia's surge sites, the Dulles Expo Center could accommodate 315 acute care or 510 non-acute care hospital beds. The Richmond Convention Center could accommodate 432 acute care or 758 non-acute care beds, and Hampton Roads Convention Center could host 360 acute care or 510 non-acute care beds.
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