PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, its second day above 1,000 cases in the past three, with Norfolk and Virginia Beach adding more than 100 cases each to the overall count.
The state’s average percent of positive tests is now 7.6%, mostly due to sharp increases in Hampton Roads.
Statewide numbers:
- New cases: (+ 1,002, 75,443 total) — trending up overall, especially in Hampton Roads
- New deaths (+6, 2,013 total) — “Deaths by day of death,” which shows the actual day a COVID-19 patient died, continues to decline from peak of 37 per day in early May
- Hospitalizations (+37, 1,171 total) — trending back up overall after falling to low of 783 patients on July 6, ICU and ventilator numbers still low, 9,883 patients discharged since start of pandemic
- Testing (7.6% positive tests overall, 7-day average went above 7% for first time since June 12 on Wednesday, trending up due to increases in Hampton Roads
Virginia is now averaging 929 new cases per day, its highest since early June, with just under half coming from Hampton Roads. The difference between now and then? Hampton Roads was averaging about 70 cases per day back then.
Virginia Beach, which now has an 11.6% rate of positive cases, has reported more than 100 cases 4 of the last 5 days. Those are also its first days above 100 cases during the pandemic.
Norfolk’s percent of positive cases has dipped slightly after going up to 17%, but still remains at 15.7%, the highest in Hampton Roads. So far it’s reported 572 new cases this week. It took Norfolk more than two months to reach that point at the beginning of the pandemic.
Portsmouth reported a single day high (47) on Tuesday and reported 45 more on Friday. Chesapeake has reported more than 300 new cases in the past five days.
Here’s the latest count for Hampton Roads and the whole Tidewater region (numbers are cumulative)
Accomack: 1,048 cases, 73 hospitalized, 14 deaths (+3 cases, +1 hospitalized)
Chesapeake: 1,560 cases, 163 hospitalized, 24 deaths (+51 cases, +2 hospitalized)
Franklin: 83 cases, 6 hospitalized, 4 deaths
Gloucester: 86 cases, 11 hospitalized, 1 death (+6 cases)
Hampton: 625 cases, 42 hospitalized, 4 deaths (+18 cases)
Isle of Wight: 251 cases, 18 hospitalized, 9 deaths (+6 cases, +1 hospitalized)
James City County: 396 cases, 59 hospitalized, 16 deaths (+6 cases)
Mathews: 7 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths
Newport News: 984 cases, 52 hospitalized, 10 deaths (+44 cases)
Norfolk: 2,020 cases, 137 hospitalized, 19 deaths (+134 cases, +3 hospitalized)
Northampton: 277 cases 41 hospitalized, 28 deaths (+1 case)
Poquoson: 24 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+1 case)
Portsmouth: 872 cases, 96 hospitalized, 20 deaths (+45 cases, +1 hospitalization, +1 death)
Southampton: 195 cases, 10 hospitalized, 11 deaths (+2 cases)
Suffolk: 676 cases, 70 hospitalized, 44 deaths (+29 cases)
Virginia Beach: 2,396 cases, 142 hospitalized, 34 deaths (+124 cases)
Williamsburg: 91 cases, 12 hospitalized, 6 deaths (+4 cases)
York: 191 cases 11 hospitalized, 3 deaths (+10 cases)
Key local metrics
- 483 new cases (480 in Hampton Roads)
- 1 new death (down from recent trend up)
- +8 hospitalized (trending up)
- 11.9% 7-day average of positive tests in Hampton Roads (trending up overall)
Chesapeake – 14.3% — rising overall
Eastern Shore – 3.2% — down overall
Hampton – 10.8% — down slightly from Thursday but still trending up overall
Norfolk – 15.7% — down slightly from 17% reported Thursday, but rise has been sharp since 5.1% reported in late June
Peninsula — 8.9% — rising
Portsmouth — 12.5 % — still high, but mostly trending down
Virginia Beach — 11.6% — rising sharply
Western Tidewater — 9.5% — trending up overall
The 12% 7-day average means Hampton Roads is seeing community spread, meaning the source of the infection is unknown. Virginia officials originally set a 10% benchmark to safely reopen the state, and leading health experts said back in May 5% was needed to safely reopen. Virginia as a whole has never hit that 5% mark.
Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday said he’s monitoring the rise in cases in Hampton Roads and says it could move back to phase 2. In the meantime he’s calling on businesses to step up enforcement of face covering requirements and other health guidelines, saying their business license can be suspended if they fail to act.
Northam says non-compliance with face covering rules and physical distancing in restaurants and other gathering places is leading to the increases, and there’s been a significant uptick in cases (about 250% since May) in people ages 20-29.
Dr. Demetria Lindsay, the health director for Virginia Beach and Norfolk, says we need to go back to the basics and not let our guard down.
“Those measures are practice social distancing, wearing our masks, using proper hand hygiene frequently, staying away from others as much as possible, and avoiding crowds.”
This article will be updated. For more information from the Virginia Department of Health, click here.