Virginia Prepares For Vaccination As New Cases Drop Below 1,000

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 948 additional coronavirus cases on Saturday, a drop from the 1,111 new cases reported on Friday. The 7-day average of new cases in the state is 988, and the cumulative total of cases since the start of the pandemic is 125,727.

On Saturday, the VDH also reported 15 new death from the coronavirus, increasing the total to 2,677. There have been 9,849 hospitalizations to date.

On Thursday, Virginia Health Commissioner Norman Oliver said an incident command center has been working in the state since June to develop policies and to create a system for vaccinating millions of Virginians when a vaccine for the coronavirus becomes available.

Educating and communicating with the public about the vaccine will probably be the biggest challenge for state officials, Oliver told the state' Board of Health at its quarterly meeting. “There is huge distrust around this issue because of politicization. That’ll present a huge challenge to us,” he said, as reported by the Roanoke Times.

The Board of Health advises the governor on health issues and reviews health regulations before they are promulgated.

Oliver told the board that it will likely be late winter before one of the three vaccines now in late-stage trials will be ready. When the vaccine becomes available, the Northam administration plans to mandate that the state's residents get the vaccine, Oliver told a Richmond news station late last month.

There have been 1,652,020 PCR tests completed on residents in Virginia, a 17,712 increase from Friday. The statewide 7-day average of percent positive tests is 7.7 percent as of Sept. 1, up from 7 percent on Aug. 24.

Current COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped from 1,101 to 1,093 since Thursday. That includes 341 in the eastern region, 274 in the northern region, 228 in the central region, 155 in the southwest region, and 100 in the northwest region. The 7-day hospitalization averages are 351 in the eastern region, 264 in the northern region, 218 in the central region, 154 in the southwest region, and 107 in the northwest region.

According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, the hospitalizations include 121 patients on ventilators and 243 people in the intensive care units. Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 19 percent, while intensive care unit occupancy is at 74 percent. The 2019 average for ICU occupancy in Virginia was 67 percent. One hospital reports difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours.

Here is the latest data for our coverage area as of Saturday. The changes are compared to Thursday's data due to an unavailability of VDH data for localities on Friday.

• Alexandria: 3,459 cases, 302 hospitalizations, 62 deaths; increase of 23 cases and one hospitalization.
• Arlington County: 3,605 cases, 472 hospitalizations, 142 deaths; increase of 18 cases, two hospitalizations and one death.
• Fairfax County: 18,740 cases, 2,079 hospitalizations, 562 deaths; increase of 69 cases and three hospitalizations.
• Fairfax City: 124 cases, 13 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of three cases.
• Falls Church: 66 cases, 11 hospitalizations, seven deaths.
• Loudoun County: 6,146 cases, 394 hospitalizations, 118 deaths; increase of 69 cases and three hospitalizations.
• Manassas: 1,826 cases, 128 hospitalizations, 24 deaths; increase of seven cases.
• Manassas Park: 572 cases, 53 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case.
• Prince William County: 11,085 cases, 865 hospitalizations, 188 deaths; increase of 61 cases and one hospitalization.
• Fredericksburg: 488 cases, 47 hospitalizations, five deaths.
• Spotsylvania County: 1,863 cases, 125 hospitalizations, 39 deaths; increase of 10 cases, two hospitalizations and one death.
• Stafford County: 1,752 cases, 140 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; increase of 15 cases, three hospitalizations and two deaths.

SEE ALSO:

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• Model Predicts 187K Total Coronavirus Cases In VA By Thanksgiving
• Virginia Health Commissioner Plans To Mandate Coronavirus Vaccine
• VA Study To Examine Coronavirus Antibodies In Kids, Teens