Coronavirus Cases Top 80K In Virginia; 3 New Deaths Statewide

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 1,022 additional coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total above the 80,000 mark. There were just three new deaths reported, including one in Northern Virginia. As of Monday, the cumulative totals for Virginia are 80,393 cases, 7,351 hospitalizations and 2,051 deaths.

The statewide 7-day average of cases slightly fell from 990 to 981 on Wednesday after the average has been increasing since July 7. A month ago on June 22, the average was 511 cases. At a peak, the average was 1,195 cases on May 31.

The Northern Virginia average of new cases has been steady since mid-June, with the latest 7-day average being 177.4 cases. On Wednesday, Northern Virginia accounted for 216 of the state's new 1,022 cases.

The statewide average of new deaths has fluctuated, but it remains lower than the peak average of 34.1 on May 28. As of Wednesday, the average is 8.4 deaths. The new deaths included Fredericksburg's first death since the pandemic started, a resident in his 70s.

The average of positive nasal swab tests continues to slowly increase on a statewide basis. The latest 7-day average was 7.9 percent on July 18. The percent positive average for Northern Virginia was lower at 5.3 percent on July 18. There have been 951,174 nasal swab tests completed across Virginia, an increase of 14,026 from Tuesday.

Current hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients dropped from 1,189 to 1,157 on Wednesday, according to Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association data. There have been 10,331 COVID-19 patients discharged, up from 10,235 on Tuesday.

The association provided new data on the capacity of intensive care units (ICU) statewide. Among COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 patients, ICU occupancy is at 76 percent. The 2019 average for Virginia was 67 percent, or nearly 10 percent below the current occupancy.

The hospitalized COVID-19 patients include 136 on ventilators and 253 in the ICU. The ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 21 percent. One hospital is reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective gear in the next 72 hours, as reported by the association on Tuesday.

Here are the latest case updates for our coverage areas from Tuesday to Wednesday:

• Alexandria: 2,618 cases, 256 hospitalizations, 56 deaths; increase of 36 cases and one hospitalization
• Arlington County: 2,763 cases, 431 hospitalizations, 135 deaths; increase of 13 cases
• Fairfax County: 15,078 cases, 1,793 hospitalizations, 510 deaths; increase of 84 cases, one hospitalization removed
• Fairfax City: 74 cases, nine hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case
• Falls Church: 54 cases, 10 hospitalizations, six deaths; no change
• Loudoun County: 4,738 cases, 324 hospitalizations, 106 deaths; increase of 43 cases
• Manassas: 1,544 cases, 117 hospitalizations, 20 deaths; increase of 13 cases and four hospitalizations
• Manassas Park: 478 cases, 49 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case and one hospitalization
• Prince William County: 8,265 cases, 743 hospitalizations, 165 deaths; increase of 25 cases, 15 hospitalizations and one death
• Fredericksburg: 302 cases, 30 hospitalizations, one death; increase of two cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Spotsylvania County: 1,197 cases, 86 hospitalizations, 33 deaths; increase of 29 cases
• Stafford County: 1,151 cases, 110 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of 11 cases

SEE ALSO:

• Fredericksburg Records First Death 4 Months Into Pandemic
• VA Averaging Almost 1K New Cases; Hospital Reports PPE Difficulty
• Northam Urges Compliance With Rules Amid Hampton Roads Case Spike