Coronavirus Reaches Final Virginia County; Transmission Rate Up

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 851 additional cases of the coronavirus Saturday. Bath County in the central-western region confirmed its first case, meaning the coronavirus has reached every Virginia county and city. The latest cumulative totals are 69,782 cases, 6,707 hospitalizations and 1,962 deaths.

Statewide, new cases have been steady since the latter half of June, but a slight uptick in the 7-day moving average has been seen in the past few days. New cases saw a sharp decline in the first half of June after the 7-day average reached a peak of 1,195 cases on May 31. In the second half of June, the average remained in the 500s. Then the average climbed to 608 cases on Wednesday, July 9, 648 on Thursday, July 10 and 668 on Friday, July 11. One explanation for the increase is that Friday marked the first time 900 or more new cases were reported since June.

As of Saturday, 783,516 nasal swab tests have been performed statewide, an increase of 17,627 tests from Friday. The 7-day average of positive tests was 6.7 percent as of July 7. The positive rate of tests has remained stable in the 6-percent range since mid-June. However, positive rates have varied on the local level, as seen in Norfolk's recent increase.

According to the latest report on the University of Virginia COVID-19 model, the transmission rate has worsened. An ideal transmission rate is below 1, meaning one person has on average infected less than one person. The reproduction rate had been below 1 since May 25 before moving above 1 on June 22.

In four of six hospital and health care regions, the rate is above 1:

• Statewide: 1.124
• Central: 0.911
• Eastern: 1.399
• Far SW: 1.935
• Near SW: 1.228
• Northern: 1.103
• Northwest: 0.993

Current hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients increased from 1,006 to 1,020 between Friday and Saturday, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. A total of 9,271 coronavirus patients have been discharged from Virginia hospitals, up from 9,189 on Friday.

The hospitalized patients include 97 on ventilators and 230 in the intensive care unit. Among all hospital patients, 621 of 2,992 available ventilators are in use, representing 21 percent use across Virginia. No hospitals are experiencing difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment or other medical supplies.

Here are the latest case updates for our coverage areas as of Saturday, compared with Friday's data:

• Alexandria: 2,453 cases, 248 hospitalizations, 57 deaths; increase of 14 cases and one hospitalization
• Arlington County: 2,597 cases, 425 hospitalizations, 134 deaths; increase of 15 cases and one death
• Fairfax County: 14,403 cases, 1,707 hospitalizations, 498 deaths; increase of 47 cases and five hospitalizations, decrease of one death
• Fairfax City: 72 cases, six hospitalizations, seven deaths; no change
• Falls Church: 53 cases, 10 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of two cases
• Loudoun County: 4,373 cases, 289 hospitalizations, 99 deaths; increase of 24 cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas: 1,482 cases, 106 hospitalizations, 19 deaths; increase of 10 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Manassas Park: 457 cases, 47 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of two cases
• Prince William County: 7,769 cases, 697 hospitalizations, 156 deaths; increase of 25 cases and one hospitalization
• Fredericksburg: 277 cases, 27 hospitalizations, no deaths; increase of 13 cases and one hospitalization
• Spotsylvania County: 1,076 cases, 82 hospitalizations, 31 deaths; one case and one hospitalization removed
• Stafford County: 1,056 cases, 104 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of eight cases and one hospitalization

SEE ALSO:

• Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Found In Rappahannock District
• Virginia Sees Highest Coronavirus Case Jump Since Early June