Virginia Continues To Report High COVID-19 Cases Numbers

VIRGINIA — Virginia has seen its average of daily cases and current COVID-19 hospitalizations reach new highs in recent days. On Friday, 3,395 new cases were reported, which is down from the 3,915 on Thursday. The latest seven-day average of daily cases is 3,865. Cases by region include 924 in the northern region, 851 in the southwest region, 545 in the northwest region, 591 in the eastern region and 484 in the central region.

On Thursday, Gov. Ralph Northam updated his stay-at-home order to modify restrictions already in place across the state to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The changes include a new statewide curfew, a universal mask requirement and lowering the size of social gatherings.

Under the curfew, which goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, residents must stay inside from midnight to 5 a.m., unless they are commuting to or from work, obtaining food and goods, or seeking medical attention.

Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey praised the governor's actions in a release, saying the county welcomed these measures to protect Virginias from the surging spread of the virus.

"We have all seen the numbers and the trends, and they are deeply disturbing," Garvey said, in the release. "We know that pandemic fatigue is real, and that it is particularly difficult to hunker down during the holidays, when we all want to be with the people we love."

Current hospitalizations stand at 2,115, the highest statewide number so far. That includes 427 patients in the intensive care units and 216 on ventilators. Hospitalizations by region are 547 in the northern region, 430 in the southwest region, 416 in the eastern region, 370 in the northwest region, and 312 in the central region.

Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 31 percent capacity, and ICU occupancy is at 79 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. The average ICU occupancy in 2019 was 67 percent. No hospitals have reported difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment since Sept. 18.

There were 35 new deaths reported on Friday, and the seven-day average of daily deaths reported is 30. Data on deaths by the date on death certificates shows the days with the most deaths in May. Data may be incomplete for the most recent weeks.

Northam last implemented new statewide restrictions on Nov. 15. That included a limit of 25 people for public and private gatherings; expansion of the face mask mandate to anyone 5 and over for indoor public places; a ban on alcohol sales, consumption and possession of alcohol after 10 p.m. at restaurants, dining establishments, food courts, breweries, microbreweries, distilleries, wineries or tasting rooms; and strengthened enforcement of state guidelines that had been best practices at essential businesses.

The governor first announced measures on March 23 to ban gatherings over 10 people, close certain nonessential businesses and close schools for the academic year. The first phase of Northam's reopening plan began May 15 for all areas except Northern Virginia, Richmond and Accomack County, and Northern Virginia entered phase one on May 29. Phase two began for all but Northern Virginia and Richmond on June 5, and those areas began it on June 12.

See also: Most Will Get Coronavirus Vaccine But Questions Raised: VA Survey

All of the state has been in phase three of Northam's reopening plan since July 1. While that status hasn't changed, additional restrictions were placed on Hampton Roads from July 31 to Sept. 10in response to a surge in that region.

The new restrictions come as Virginia and other states wait on approval of a COVID-19 virus vaccination. Pfizer and Moderna have applied for emergency use authorizations with the FDA, and Northam previously said approval of Pfizer's vaccine could be expected as early as mid-December.

Once approved, vaccine distribution to states will immediately start. Based on new information about the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, Virginia health officials are preparing to receive an estimated 480,000 doses of vaccine from two manufacturers — Pfizer and Moderna — by the end of the month. This is a considerably larger amount than the estimated initial 70,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine Northam said last week the state could expect from Pfizer alone.

The larger number of doses will ensure that nearly all of the 480,000 people in Virginia's two top-priority groups — health care personnel and long-term care facility residents — will be taken care of in the first round of vaccinations. The Virginia Department of Health estimates up to 500,000 people are in these two groups.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Thursday to Friday:

• Alexandria: 6,089 cases, 390 hospitalizations, 82 deaths; increase of 77 cases
• Arlington County: 7,207 cases, 607 hospitalizations, 164 deaths; increase of 109 cases, four hospitalizations
• Fairfax County: 35,748 cases, 2,676 hospitalizations, 633 deaths; increase of 320 cases, 17 hospitalizations and one death
• Fairfax City: 235 cases, 21 hospitalizations, 10 deaths; increase of one case and one hospitalization
• Falls Church: 136 cases, 16 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of two cases
• Loudoun County: 11,545 cases, 580 hospitalizations, 151 deaths; increase of 125 cases and five hospitalizations
• Manassas: 2,466 cases, five hospitalizations, 28 deaths; increase of 26 cases
• Manassas Park: 797 cases, 62 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of 13 cases
• Prince William County: 20,543 cases, 1,136 hospitalizations, 240 deaths; increase of 250 cases, five hospitalizations and one death
• Fredericksburg: 815 cases, 58 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of 15 cases
• Spotsylvania County: 3,652 cases, 186 hospitalizations, 58 deaths; increase of 42 cases and one hospitalization
• Stafford County: 3,925 cases, 207 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of 49 cases and one hospitalization

Patch editor Emily Leayman contributed to the reporting of this case.