PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — If Virginia is to see a possible spike in COVID-19 cases due to recent protests and lifting of restrictions, it hasn’t happened yet.

Virginia reported its lowest daily case increase since April 20 on June 9 with just 487 new cases. It’s the second straight day of cases under 600 as new cases have mostly trended down since late May.

It comes as the Virginia Department of Health starts to add in about 13,000 backlogged tests to its data. It’s unclear just how tests were added to the state’s data Tuesday, but 388,480 PCR tests total appear on VDH’s website, up 6,290 from Monday’s 382,190. VDH said mostly all of those 13,000 tests were positive.

Another big development in testing numbers: Virginia’s percent of positive cases statewide dropped a full percentage point from 10% to 8.9%, a significant decrease.

What about the possible protest cases?

If Virginia does see a large increases in cases due to protests, this is about the time cases would start being reported by the Virginia Department of Health. Protests in Hampton Roads started on May 29, just days after the death of George Floyd, and are continuing with protests scheduled through the week.

The incubation period before COVID-19 patients display symptoms is about 5 days on average. Gov. Ralph Northam and health officials are encouraging protesters to get tested, especially if they’re symptomatic. Northam, who’s holding a press briefing on Tuesday at 2 p.m., said he’d have more details on testing for protesters soon.

Deaths

Virginia did however report 19 new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, its second highest daily increase in just over a week, with 15 coming from long-term care facilities across the state, including 5 at Consulate Health Care of Windsor, federal data shows. All 8 of Isle of Wight’s deaths have come at the facility. That federal data on nursing homes, which have been hit hard by the virus, was released last week, but still features many holes in reporting.

Virginia is now reporting 845 deaths at long-term care facilities since the start of the pandemic (just over 56% of Virginia’s total deaths) and 5,338 cumulative cases.

Though deaths have mostly been trending down since peak in late April/early May. VDH data shows a record spike in daily reported deaths on May 28, but that can be attributed to a lag in reporting. VDH’s deaths by date of death shows a mostly smooth trend down.

Consulate Health Care of Windsor had not reported deaths at the facility since early May.

Hospitalizations are also at a low in the commonwealth as of Tuesday, with 1,169 total COVID-19 patients, with a low 155 on ventilators.

Here’s the latest count for Tidewater for June 9:

Accomack: 983 cases, 55 hospitalized,  13 deaths (no increases)
Chesapeake: 605 cases, 97 hospitalized, 15 deaths (+9 cases)
Franklin:  42 cases, 3 hospitalized, 2 death (no increases)
Gloucester: 33 cases, 8 hospitalized, 1 death (no increases)
Hampton: 228 cases,  35 hospitalized, 4 deaths (+1 case, +2 hospitalizations)
Isle of Wight: 149 cases, 14 hospitalized, 8 deaths (+4 cases, +5 deaths)
James City County: 224 cases, 54 hospitalized, 15 deaths (+7 cases)
Mathews: 5 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths (no increases)
Newport News: 323 cases, 41 hospitalized, 10 deaths (+1 case)
Norfolk: 596 cases, 73 hospitalized, 7 deaths (+7 cases, +2 hospitalized)
Northampton: 256 cases, 33 hospitalized, 27 deaths (+1 case, +1 hospitalized, +1 death)
Poquoson: 9 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 death (no increases)
Portsmouth: 351 cases,  48 hospitalized, 11 deaths (+7 cases)
Southampton: 153 cases, 7 hospitalized, 2 deaths (no increases)
Suffolk: 325 cases, 53 hospitalized, 34 deaths (+1 death)
Virginia Beach: 815 cases, 104 hospitalized, 27 deaths (+5 cases, +2 hospitalized, +2 deaths)
Williamsburg: 48 cases, 11 hospitalized, 5 deaths (+2 cases)
York: 86 cases, 10 hospitalized, 3 deaths (no increases)

Key takeaways:

  • 44 new cases (up from 26 on Monday), but 9 new deaths locally — including 5 in Isle of Wight, which hadn’t reported a death since early May. All 8 of Isle of Wight’s deaths have come at Consulate Health Care of Windsor, federal data shows.
  • Accomack reported no new cases for the second straight day.
  • Hampton and Newport News have combined for just 5 new cases in the past two days.

To see charts for these localities and more data from the Virginia Department of Health, click here and click the locality tab.