COVID-19 Cases Surge In Virginia As Omicron Reaches All Corners Of State

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 12,112 new positive cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, a one-day record for the state since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

The huge increase in positive tests lifted the total number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia to 1,087,400. Among state health districts, daily positive COVID-19 counts on Wednesday were highest in Fairfax County, which reported 2,213 new cases.

The previous record in Virginia was set on Jan. 17 when 9,914 new COVID-19 cases were reported.

The surging positive case numbers in the state signal the likely arrival of the omicron variant to all parts of the Virginia. More than 1,800 coronavirus patients are being treated in Virginia hospitals on Wednesday, state health officials said.

The 7-day moving average for COVID-19 hospitalizations currently stands at 1,716 people. That is only 300 patients shy of the summer delta wave but still well below the 3,000-plus patients in January.

The highest 7-day moving average for hospitalizations in Virginia since the pandemic began occurred on Jan. 18, when the daily average was 3,143 hospitalizations, according to state health officials.

The 7-day percent positivity rate currently stands at 17.4 percent in Virginia, the highest since April 2020 when the 7-day positivity rate was 20.2 percent as COVID-19 was spreading quickly across the state for the first time.

As of Wednesday, 78 percent of Virginia adults were fully vaccinated, while 67.4 percent of all residents were fully vaccinated, according to the VDH. Among children ages 5-11 in Virginia, 30.6 percent have been received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Nearly everyone who is going to the hospital with COVID-19 is unvaccinated, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday about the latest surge in cases and hospitalizations.

"This is entirely avoidable, if everyone gets their shots," Northam said.

Data from around the world show that if people have gotten vaccinated, and then get COVID-19, symptoms are likely to be minor, he said.

On Tuesday, the VDH added COVID-19 deaths of Virginia residents who died out-of-state in 2020 to its dashboard data. The department said these additional 165 previously unknown COVID-19 deaths happened among Virginia residents in another state.

“A small percentage of the time, a Virginia resident with COVID-19 dies in another state and that state issues a death certificate," the department said in a news release. "VDH is notified of these deaths when these non-Virginia-issued death certificates are submitted to VDH by other states, which is often significantly delayed. The majority of out-of-state issued death certificates are reported to VDH in September and October after the year of death.”

As of Wednesday, 15,541 Virginia residents had died from COVID-19.

Fairfax County Adopts New CDC Guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday shortened the recommended times that people should isolate when they have tested positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five days if they do not have symptoms and if they wear a mask around others for at least five more days.

The VDH is currently reviewing the new guidance from the CDC to determine whether to pass it along to residents in their states. In Fairfax County, though, health officials are already updating their quarantine recommendations to align with the CDC's relaxed guidelines.

Here are the new guidelines in Fairfax County:

For people who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status

Day 1 to 5:

• Stay home and away from others.

Day 6 to 10:

• If you have a fever, continue to stay home until 24 hours after your fever resolves.
• If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving, you can leave your house. Continue to wear a well-fitting mask to reduce any risk of infecting others.

For people who were exposed to someone with COVID-19

If you have been boosted or received a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last six months or received your first dose of J&J vaccine within the last two months:

Day 1 to 10

• Wear a mask around others.
• Test on day 5, if possible.
• If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home.
• If you test positive for COVID-19 during this 10-day period, follow the isolation guidance above

If you received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines more than six months ago and are not boosted or received one dose of the J&J vaccine more than two months ago and are not boosted, or are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated:

Day 1 to 5:

• Stay home and away from others.
• Test on day 5 if possible. If you test positive for COVID-19, follow the isolation guidance above.

Day 6 to 10:

• Continue to wear a mask around others.
• If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home. If you test positive for COVID-19, follow the isolation guidance above.

RELATED:

• New CDC Quarantine Guidance Under Review By VA Health Officials
• COVID Hospitalizations Among Children Up In VA As Omicron Spreads
• COVID Tests In VA Are In Short Supply: Here's How To Get One
• Omicron Cases Explode In Virginia, DC: See Latest CDC Data