Watch live: Dr. Deborah Birx from the White House coronavirus taskforce will be meeting with Gov. Northam and other Virginia health officials this morning. Northam is holding a briefing later today at 2 p.m.

PORSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Current COVID-19 hospitalizations in Virginia jumped up by nearly 100 patients between Monday and Tuesday as the commonwealth deals with its highest virus levels since late May.

Of the 1,294 people currently hospitalized, 544 are in the Virginia Department of Health’s Eastern District (Tidewater/Hampton Roads region), by far the region’s highest number of current hospitalizations. The region saw 67 new current hospitalizations Tuesday. VDH just recently started reporting the number of current hospitalizations by region.

Statewide numbers:

  • New cases: (+922  86,994 total) — trending up overall
  • New deaths (+13, 2,095 total) — Daily reported deaths lag “Deaths by day of death,” the metric that shows the actual day a COVID-19 patient died, is well below the peak of 37 per day in early May. Reported deaths at lowest average since early April.
  • Hospitalizations (+94, 1,294 total) — trending up overall after falling to low of 783 patients on July 6, ICU and ventilator numbers still low, 11,550 patients discharged since start of pandemic
  • Testing (7.3% positive tests overall) — Back down after going up to 7.9% on July 18

More people are currently hospitalized in Hampton Roads than the region’s cumulative numbers of total hospitalizations from the start of the pandemic to early June. The rest of the state’s hospitalizations are also trending up, but the increase isn’t as sharp as Hampton Roads.

Hampton Roads also reported 4 new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, but they remain relatively low overall compared to earlier in the pandemic.

The region’s new cases Tuesday were well below its 7-day average of about 455 per day, and its percent of positive tests are mostly trending down, down to 11.67% Tuesday.

Statewide numbers:

  • New cases: (+922  86,994 total) — trending up overall
  • New deaths (+13, 2,095 total) — Daily reported deaths lag “Deaths by day of death,” the metric that shows the actual day a COVID-19 patient died, is well below the peak of 37 per day in early May. Reported deaths at lowest average since early April.
  • Hospitalizations (+94, 1,294 total) — trending up overall after falling to low of 783 patients on July 6, ICU and ventilator numbers still low, 11,550 patients discharged since start of pandemic
  • Testing (7.3% positive tests overall) — Back down after going up to 7.9% on July 18

Here’s the latest count for Hampton Roads and the whole Tidewater region (numbers are cumulative)

Accomack: 1,069 cases, 76 hospitalized, 15 deaths (+4 cases)
Chesapeake: 2,276 cases, 195 hospitalized, 26 deaths (+30 cases, +4 hospitalized, +1 death)
Franklin: 114 cases, 7 hospitalized, 5 death (+5 cases, +1 death)
Gloucester: 138 cases, 12 hospitalized, 1 death (+6 cases)
Hampton: 938 cases, 48 hospitalized, 4 deaths (+22 cases)
Isle of Wight: 314 cases, 20 hospitalized, 9 deaths (+1 case, +1 hospitalized)
James City County: 518 cases, 59 hospitalized, 16 deaths (+8 cases)
Mathews: 12 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+1 case)
Newport News: 1,489 cases, 71 hospitalized, 15 deaths (+15 cases)
Norfolk: 2,814 cases, 162 hospitalized, 20 deaths (+35 cases, +4 hospitalized)
Northampton: 298 cases, 45 hospitalized, 28 deaths (+1 case)
Poquoson: 34 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+1 case)
Portsmouth: 1,367 cases, 111 hospitalized, 21 deaths (+76 cases, +2 hospitalized)
Southampton: 229 cases, 12 hospitalized, 12 deaths (+3 cases, +1 death)
Suffolk: 974 cases, 90 hospitalized, 46 deaths (+26 cases, +1 death)
Virginia Beach: 3,788 cases, 191 hospitalized, 43 deaths (+46 cases, +3 hospitalized)
Williamsburg: 105 cases, 12 hospitalized, 6 deaths
York: 287 cases, 14 hospitalized, 3 deaths (+5 cases)

Key local metrics

  • 285 new cases (280 in Hampton Roads) — relatively low day for Hampton Roads, about 200 cases below previous 7-day average (465)
  • 4 new deaths (7-day average: 1.4)
  • +67 new current hospitalizations via Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (544 total in Eastern District)
  • 14 new VDH reported hospitalizations (lags from VHHA current hospitalizations) — below 7-day average of 17 per day
  • 7-day percent of positive tests (11.67%) — trending back down

7-day positivity rates

Chesapeake – 13.4% — overall trending up
Eastern Shore – 6.4% — trending back up, low overall (low overall testing)
Hampton – 9.2 % — trending down after increased testing
Norfolk – 12.8% — trending down from high of 17% reported on July 12
Peninsula — 8.0% — trending down after going up to 11.5% on July 17
Portsmouth — 17.0 % — trending down slightly, still high
Virginia Beach — 11.1% — trending back down after going up to 12.1% on July 16
Western Tidewater — 10.2% — trending up overall

Gov. Ralph Northam told 10 On Your Side he’s monitoring the increased cases in Hampton Roads and the rest of the state, and could impose more restrictions soon, including lowering phase 3’s 250 person gathering limit. He’s expected to hold a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. WAVY will have the briefing on-air and here online.

For more information from the Virginia Department of Health, click here.