Coronavirus Case Average Increases In Virginia, NoVA Cases Stable

VIRGINIA — As Gov. Ralph Northam urged Virginians to continue health precautions to avoid coronavirus case spikes over the Labor Day weekend, the 7-day average of cases has started to increase in the last week. On Wednesday, 927 new cases were reported, bringing the cumulative total to 122,542 cases. There were 29 new deaths reported on Wednesday, and a total of 2,641 people with the virus have died, according to the Virginia Department of Health. In all, 9,678 hospitalizations have been reported.

The latest average of new cases was 1,012 cases on Sept. 2, but regional data has varied. The northern region has a stable number of new cases, with the latest average being 245.9 cases. The eastern region, since seeing a spike during July, saw cases overall fall during August. The latest 7-day average for the region was 202 cases. The central and northwest regions have not seen significant fluctuations, with the latest averages being 175.7 cases and 154 cases, respectively.

The southwest region, however, has seen more cases over the last two months. While the 7-day average of new cases was below 100 until July 20, the average is now 234.4 cases.

"This is especially concerning for a region where there are fewer hospitals, especially with critical care capabilities," the governor said of the southwest region's trends in a Tuesday news conference.

As for hospitalizations, COVID-19 patients increased from 1,039 to 1,114 statewide from Tuesday to Wednesday. That includes 134 on ventilators and 266 in the intensive care units, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Ventilator use among all Virginia hospital patients is at 20 percent capacity, while ICU occupancy is at 80 percent. The statewide average for ICU occupancy in 2019 was 67 percent. One hospital reports difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours.

Here are the hospitalization statistics on a regional basis:

• Eastern: 379 patients, 77 in ICU, 47 on ventilators
• Northern: 260 patients, 48 in ICU, 23 on ventilators
• Central: 200 patients, 68 in ICU, 25 on ventilators
• Southwest: 162 patients, 39 in ICU, 19 on ventilators
• Northwest: 113 patients, 34 in ICU, 20 on ventilators

There have been 1,605,290 total PCR tests completed in Virginia, up 11,922 from Tuesday. The state's 7-day average of positive tests was 7.7 percent on Aug. 29, up 10 percent from the start of that week. By region, the averages are 6.4 percent in the northern region, 7.4 percent in the northwest region, 8 percent in the central region, 8.7 percent in the eastern region and 9 percent in the southwest region.

On Tuesday, VDH provided updates on outbreaks tied to meat and poultry processing plants in Virginia. A total of 1,234 cases, 50 hospitalizations and 10 deaths are associated with these outbreaks. The majority of cases (723) are in the eastern region, followed by the northwestern region with 460 and the central region with 51. The cases reported by month included 30 in March, 605 in April, 553 in May, 26 in June, 16 in July and four in August.

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

• Alexandria: 3,415 cases, 300 hospitalizations, 62 deaths; increase of 20 cases and two hospitalizations
• Arlington County: 3,569 cases, 469 hospitalizations, 141 deaths; increase of nine cases, three hospitalizations and one death
• Fairfax County: 18,606 cases, 2,062 hospitalizations, 561 deaths; increase of 98 cases, four hospitalizations and one death
• Fairfax City: 121 cases, 13 hospitalizations, seven deaths; one case removed
• Falls Church: 66 cases, 11 hospitalizations, seven deaths; no changes
• Loudoun County: 6,053 cases, 389 hospitalizations, 118 deaths; increase of 45 cases and two hospitalizations
• Manassas: 1,813 cases, 128 hospitalizations, 24 deaths; increase of three cases and two hospitalizations
• Manassas Park: 571 cases, 53 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of three cases
• Prince William County: 10,944 cases, 860 hospitalizations, 187 deaths; increase of 40 cases, one hospitalization and two deaths
• Fredericksburg: 486 cases, 47 hospitalizations, five deaths; increase of four cases
• Spotsylvania County: 1,836 cases, 122 hospitalizations, 38 deaths; increase of 12 cases and one hospitalization
• Stafford County: 1,729 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 11 deaths; increase of 12 cases and one death

More Coverage:

• VA Governor Urges Vigilance With Coronavirus Ahead Of Labor Day
• Northam Extends DMV Credentials, Calls For Poll Workers
• College Campuses Report Cases, Positive Average Up In NW Virginia
• 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