VA Passes 10,000 Cases Of Coronavirus As Lawmakers Reconvene

VIRGINIA — The number of people in Virginia who have tested positive for the new coronavirus passed the 10,000 mark Wednesday, according to the latest data from the Virginia Department of Health. The total number of positive cases now stands at 10,266, an increase of 636 people from Tuesday's report.

The Virginia Department of Health on Wednesday reported 25 more coronavirus deaths, bringing the state's death toll to 349.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has infected more than 2,623,231 people and killed more than 182,740 around the world as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Virginia reported its first coronavirus case on March 7. As of Wednesday, 60,778 people in the state have been tested for the disease and 1,659 have been hospitalized.

The Virginia Department of Health has made data available on cases of the new coronavirus by county and independent city.

Fairfax County has the highest number of confirmed cases in the state. The total: 2,256. Second on the list is Prince William County, with 924 positive tests.

Here's a breakdown for all jurisdictions in our Northern Virginia coverage area:

• Alexandria: 474 cases, 65 hospitalizations, 12 deaths
• Arlington County: 663 cases, 116 hospitalizations, 24 deaths
• Fairfax County: 2,256 cases, 405 hospitalizations, 66 deaths
• Fairfax City: 25 cases, two hospitalizations, one death
• Falls Church: 25 cases, two hospitalizations, one death
• Loudoun County: 475 cases, 61 hospitalizations, nine deaths
• Manassas: 117 cases, 15 hospitalizations, no deaths
• Manassas Park: 34 cases, six hospitalizations, one death
• Prince William County: 924 cases, 101 hospitalizations, 17 deaths
• Fredericksburg: 17 cases, three hospitalizations, no deaths
• Spotsylvania County: 83 cases, 20 hospitalizations, three deaths
• Stafford County: 170 cases, 38 hospitalizations, two deaths

The Virginia General Assembly reconvened Wednesday to consider Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's amendments to legislation. The House of Delegates met under a canopy on the lawn of the state Capitol and the Senate met at the Virginia Science Museum where there was more room for the lawmakers to spread out.

In one of their votes, the General Assembly narrowly approved Northam's amendment to delay implementation of the state’s first minimum wage increase in more than a decade. The amended bills would increase Virginia’s minimum wage from $7.75 per hour to $9.50 per hour on May 1, 2021, instead of Jan. 1, 2021, as originally approved by the General Assembly earlier this year.

On Wednesday, protesters descended again on downtown Richmond to urge Northam to lift restrictions on businesses and social gathering designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "The virus, they’re inflating the numbers,” a protester told NBC12.

At a press briefing Monday, Northam described looking out the windows of the governor's mansion during a protest last week where people were not practicing social distancing. He said the protesters were not only putting themselves and their neighbors at risk, but they are putting health care providers and their families at risk. "This is not the time to play politics," the governor said.

On April 15, Northam extended his shutdown order for certain non-essential businesses, which initially was set to expire April 23, until May 8. A separate stay-at-home order for Virginia residents is in effect through June 10.

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According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association's data tracker, which provides more detailed information on hospitalized patients than the Virginia Department of Health, 1,374 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are awaiting their coronavirus test results are hospitalized as of Wednesday.

Also, 1,497 people who were hospitalized with the coronavirus have been discharged as of Wednesday, according to association data.

Of the people hospitalized in Virginia with the coronavirus, 244 are on a ventilator. There are 650 ventilators in use at hospitals across Virginia for the coronavirus and other reasons as of Wednesday. That number represents about 23 percent of the total number of ventilators available in the state, according to the association.

As of Wednesday, state health officials are reporting 167 outbreaks of the coronavirus across the state, with 91 of those outbreaks happening at long-term care facilities.

The Rappahannock Area Health District – which includes the city of Fredericksburg and Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George and Caroline counties – and the West Piedmont Health District are the only two health districts in the state without an official outbreak of the new coronavirus. The West Piedmont Health District oversees Henry, Franklin and Patrick counties and the city of Martinsville.

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