PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia health officials are reporting 548 new COVID-19 cases on Monday morning, bringing the total number of confirmed cases statewide to 13,036 as the number of currently hospitalized patients statewide continues its climb in the past week.
Monday afternoon, Governor Ralph Northam gave a media briefing regarding updates on the fight against COVID-19. Watch below.
10 new deaths linked to the disease were also reported, bringing Virginia’s total to 458. Virginia has reported an average of 24 deaths each day in the last week.
5,062 new tests were reported between Sunday and Monday as Virginia also ramps up testing efforts. Gov. Ralph Northam says he wants to see at least 10,000 people tested daily statewide.
Here’s the latest breakdown for the Tidewater region:
Accomack: 195 cases, 17 hospitalized, 3 death (+143 cases compared to last Monday, April 20) Chesapeake: 214 cases, 45 hospitalized, 6 deaths (+48 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Franklin: 16 cases, 0 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+4 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Gloucester: 22 cases, 4 hospitalized, 1 death (+ 1 case compared to last Monday, April 20)
Hampton: 108 cases, 28 hospitalized, 1 death (+48 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Isle of Wight: 93 cases, 9 hospitalized, 2 deaths (+7 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
James City County: 154 cases, 51 hospitalized, 12 deaths (+13 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Mathews: 4 cases, 1 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+1 case compared to last Monday, April 20)
Newport News: 112 cases, 33 hospitalized, 7 deaths (+10 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Norfolk: 184 cases, 36 hospitalized, 3 deaths (+79 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Northampton: 28 cases 3 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+21 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Poquoson: 6 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 death (no new cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Portsmouth: 114 cases, 32 hospitalized, 5 deaths (+49 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Southampton: 115 cases, 3 hospitalized, 1 death (+98 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Suffolk: 147 cases, 31 hospitalized, 5 deaths (+55 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Virginia Beach: 355 cases, 72 hospitalized, 10 deaths (+74 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
Williamsburg: 15 cases, 6 hospitalized, 1 death (+4 cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
York: 44 cases, 6 hospitalized, 1 death (no new cases compared to last Monday, April 20)
The biggest jumps by far locally compared to last Monday (April 20) are in Southampton County (population around 17,000 people as of the 2019 census) and Accomack County (around 32,000 people), which rank 3rd and 4th statewide for COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, per VDH data. Only Richmond City and Harrisonburg are higher.
Southampton: 17 to 115 — 576% increase
Accomack: 52 to 198 — 275% increase
And despite their low populations, both counties had a higher total increase in cases than any of Hampton Roads’ cities.
Monday’s number of confirmed cases from the Virginia Department of Health include people who’ve tested positive sometime in the past, and not necessarily in the last 24 hours due to lag in getting test results.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said that the commonwealth may have seen its peak in cases on Friday, but test results from those who may have contracted the coronavirus on or around that day may not be reported until about a week later.
VDH officials also reported 17 new probable cases, those diagnosed by medical professionals but not confirmed via testing. 499 probable cases have been reported so far.
A graph from the non-profit Virginia Public Access Project shows the trends of daily reported confirmed cases:
Current hospitalizations have gone up each day in the past week, with 1,455 COVID-19 patients with confirmed or pending test results as of Monday, per Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association data.
The VHHA’s figures are a better way of tracking current hospitalizations, as the Virginia Department of Health’s data is cumulative and includes patients who’ve been discharged and those’ who’ve died.
Most people who contract the new coronavirus only suffer “mild” to moderate symptoms and can recover at home isolation. However, the virus can cause severe illness or death for some who contract it, particularly older adults and those with underlying health conditions.
This article will be updated. You can view more statistics from the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.