Fourth Straight Day With Fewer Than 1,000 Coronavirus Cases: VDH

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 776 additional coronavirus cases and eight new deaths on Wednesday. One of the new deaths was reported in a Northern Virginia locality. As of Wednesday, statewide cumulative numbers are up to 102,521 cases, 8,532 hospitalizations, and 2,352 deaths.

After a nearly week-long stretch with new coronavirus cases above 1,000, the VDH reported the fourth straight day with new cases in only triple digits. The 7-day average of new cases now stands at 1,067 compared to 1,198 on Saturday.

Virginia's new cases on Wednesday include 205 in the eastern region, 203 in the northern region, 149 in the central region, 111 in the southwest region, and 102 in the northwest region. The 7-day average of cases in Eastern Virginia has been on the decline for several days after increases in July.

While new cases are similar among some regions, a drastic difference can be seen in current hospitalizations in Eastern Virginia. By region, there are 508 hospitalizations in the eastern region as of Wednesday.

Northern Virginia currently has 254 patients hospitalized, up from a low of 183 in late July, but below the 818 patients in hospitals on April 30.

Statewide, hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients changed from 1,293 to 1,281 from Tuesday to Wednesday. That includes 142 patients on ventilators and 290 in the intensive care units. A total of 13,247 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals to date, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

Ventilator use remains stable at 20 percent among all Virginia hospital patients as of Wednesday, and ICU occupancy stands at 78 percent. The 2019 average for ICU occupancy in Virginia was 67 percent.

On Wednesday, two hospitals were reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours, and one hospital was reporting difficulty obtaining other medical supplies. This is the fifth day in a row that at least one hospital has reported difficulty acquiring PPE.

The positive average of PCR tests remained in the 7-percent range through much of July into August. The latest statewide 7-day average was 7.3 percent on Aug. 8. As of Wednesday, 1,283,409 PCR tests have been performed in Virginia, an increase of 15,897 from Tuesday.

Also, as of Wednesday, there have been 8,554 cases and 1,282 deaths associated with outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Numbers from specific long-term care facilities' outbreaks are provided on VDH's Long-Term Care Task Force website.

Here are the latest case updates for our coverage areas between Tuesday and Wednesday:

• Alexandria: 3,014 cases, 281 hospitalizations, 60 deaths; increase of 19 cases.
• Arlington County: 3,118 cases, 437 hospitalizations, 135 deaths; increase of 13 cases.
• Fairfax County: 16,642 cases, 1,953 hospitalizations, 529 deaths; increase of 98 cases and 12 hospitalizations.
• Fairfax City: 92 cases, 11 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case.
• Falls Church: 61 cases, nine hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of one case.
• Loudoun County: 5,372 cases, 353 hospitalizations, 115 deaths; increase of 26 cases and one hospitalization.
• Manassas: 1,670 cases, 124 hospitalizations, 23 deaths; increase of four cases, one hospitalization and one death.
• Manassas Park: 518 cases, 50 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of two cases.
• Prince William County: 9,605 cases, 804 hospitalizations, 176 deaths; increase of 39 cases.
• Fredericksburg: 414 cases, 44 hospitalizations, four deaths; increase of eight cases, one hospitalization and one death.
• Spotsylvania County: 1,536 cases, 98 hospitalizations, 35 deaths; increase of 22 cases and one hospitalization. One death removed.
• Stafford County: 1,424 cases, 122 hospitalizations, nine deaths; increase of 19 cases and one hospitalization.

SEE ALSO:

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• Backlog Accounts For 2,015 New Coronavirus Cases In Virginia
• Coronavirus Exposure Notification App Launches In Virginia