VA Positive Coronavirus Test Percent Drops As Backlog Gets Added

VIRGINIA — Virginia's seven-day average for the percent of positive cases reached a new low of 8 percent Friday after about 43,000 new coronavirus test results were added to the state’s official count, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The 8-percent positive rate is down from a peak of 22.2 percent on April 19.

Two laboratories began electronic reporting to VDH this week, allowing a backlog of negative tests to be included in Friday's testing report, the health department said Friday in a statement. As of Friday, 448,172 tests (excluding antibody tests) had been completed in Virginia, compared to 405,025 tests reported Thursday.

Positive test results from the two laboratories were hand-entered into the system when they were received. The addition of the negative tests from the two labs resulted in a decrease in the percent of positive polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests.

One lab had roughly 18,000 results and the other had around 13,500 results. The remainder of the figure, almost 12,000 tests, reflects regular daily reporting, the health department said.

On its coronavirus dashboard, the VDH reported 564 additional cases of the coronavirus and 14 new deaths Friday. The latest cumulative totals for Virginia are 53,211 cases, 5,445 hospitalizations and 1,534 deaths.

There were 173 new coronavirus cases in the Northern Virginia region Friday. That total represented 30.7 percent of the 564 new cases in the state. Seven of the 14 new deaths reported in Virginia were people who lived in Northern Virginia.

On Friday, there were 1,026 hospitalized patients with confirmed or pending coronavirus test results, down from 1,069 reported Thursday, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. There have been 7,002 COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals, up from 6,895 on Thursday.

As of Friday, 143 COVID-19 patients with confirmed or pending test results were on ventilators. Overall, 614 of 2,975 available ventilators are being used by Virginia hospital patients. This represents 21-percent use of ventilators.

There were 297 people who tested positive for the coronavirus in the ICU as of Friday, compared to 273 on Thursday. No hospitals were reporting difficulty on Friday in obtaining or replenishing personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours.

On Friday, Northern Virginia and Richmond joined the rest of the state in the second phase of Gov. Ralph Northam's reopening process.

Here are the latest cumulative case updates for our coverage areas as of Friday:

• Alexandria: 2,128 cases, 222 hospitalizations, 48 deaths; one new case and four new hospitalizations.
• Arlington County: 2,307 cases, 397 hospitalizations, 125 deaths; eight new cases, one new hospitalization and one new death.
• Fairfax County: 12,863 cases, 1,464 hospitalizations, 421 deaths; 51 new cases, four new hospitalizations and three new deaths.
• Fairfax City: 68 cases, seven hospitalizations, six deaths; no changes.
• Falls Church: 56 cases, 11 hospitalizations, eight deaths; no changes.
• Loudoun County: 3,280 cases, 204 hospitalizations, 70 deaths; 51 new cases, three new hospitalizations and one new death.
• Manassas: 1,282 cases, 86 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; 11 new cases and seven new hospitalizations.
• Manassas Park: 369 cases, 41 hospitalizations, six deaths; eight new cases and one new hospitalization.
• Prince William County: 6,439 cases, 598 hospitalizations, 120 deaths; 43 new cases, 22 new hospitalizations and two new deaths.
• Fredericksburg: 199 cases, 24 hospitalizations, no deaths; two new cases.
• Spotsylvania County: 739 cases, 52 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; 10 new cases, one new hospitalization and one new death.
• Stafford County: 862 cases, 88 hospitalizations, five deaths; 21 new cases and four new hospitalizations.

SEE ALSO:

• Virginia Coronavirus Patients In Intensive Care On The Decline
• Northam Announces School Reopening Plan, Phase 2 For NoVA
• Ventilator Use For Virginia Coronavirus Patients Steadily Falling