PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia reported 2,718 new coronavirus cases, 29 new COVID-19 related deaths and 53 new COVID-19 hospitalizations the day before Thanksgiving.
Cases and hospitalizations are on a steep incline statewide, with hospitalizations (1,549 patients currently) nearing Virginia’s record of 1,625 in May.
Health officials warn those numbers could rise even more in the weeks after Thanksgiving. They’re urging people to make their Thanksgiving gatherings as small as possible (among immediate family members and outdoors if possible). We likely won’t see the full effects of the holiday until about a week after.
Statewide numbers:
- New cases: (+2,718, 226,300 total), steep rise, more than double case levels of most of pandemic
- Case incidence rate: 29.3 per 100K, trending up
- New deaths (+29, 4,008 total), steady overall, but trending back up
- Current hospitalizations (+53 patients, 1,549 total), trending up overall
- Testing (7.5% 7-day average of positive tests), trending up overall, Virginia averaging around 25,000 tests per day,
Despite advances in treatment for COVID-19, deaths have also been trending back up. The sheer volume of infection levels means there’s a greater possibility of deaths. Most of the recent deaths in Virginia have been in Southwest Virginia (deaths in gray areas of chart may not be reported yet due to lag).
Nationally, cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all steeply increasing, with cases and hospitalizations at record levels.
Local cases
Metrics are on the rise across the regions, and hospitalizations are now starting to reflect the recent cases increases. Deaths are still steady, but remember they lag cases and hospitalizations.
Local cumulative case count
- Accomack: 1,315 cases, 106 hospitalized, 21 deaths (+5 cases)
- Chesapeake: 6,162 cases, 525 hospitalized, 80 deaths (+47 cases)
- Franklin: 538 cases, 27 hospitalized, 16 deaths (no changes)
- Gloucester: 423 cases, 19 hospitalized, 3 deaths (+4 cases)
- Hampton: 2,690 cases, 114 hospitalized, 34 deaths (+37 cases)
- Isle of Wight: 1,004 cases, 52 hospitalized, 28 deaths (+5 cases)
- James City County: 1,149 cases, 71 hospitalized, 22 deaths (+7 cases)
- Mathews: 155 cases, 12 hospitalized, 1 death (no changes)
- Newport News: 3,891 cases, 133 hospitalized, 54 deaths (+26 cases, +1 death)
- Norfolk: 6,378 cases, 456 hospitalized, 89 deaths (+34 cases, +14 hospitalized)
- Northampton: 340 cases, 49 hospitalized, 31 deaths (no changes)
- Poquoson: 136 cases, 3 hospitalized, 2 deaths (+2 cases)
- Portsmouth: 3,136 cases, 349 hospitalized, 71 deaths (+8 cases)
- Southampton: 977 cases, 32 hospitalized, 40 deaths (+1 case)
- Suffolk: 2,678 cases, 159 hospitalized, 80 deaths (+17 cases)
- Virginia Beach: 10,387 cases, 526 hospitalized, 113 deaths (+108 cases, +8 hospitalized, +1 death)
- Williamsburg: 285 cases, 17 hospitalized, 8 deaths (+1 case)
- York: 867 cases, 27 hospitalized, 9 deaths (+8 cases)
Key local metrics
- 310 new cases, trending up
- 2 new deaths, steady
- +6 hospitalized (405 total), trending up, up 89 patients compared to two weeks ago
- Percent of positive tests: 7.57%, trending up
Positivity rates
- Chesapeake — 12% — trending up (sharp recent increase)
- Eastern Shore — 6.7% — trending up
- Hampton — 8.5% — trending up
- Norfolk — 7.7% — trending up
- Peninsula — 5.7% — trending up
- Portsmouth — 6.3% — steady overall but a slight increase recently
- Virginia Beach — 7.9% — trending up overall, not as steep as Chesapeake
- Western Tidewater — 5.8% — steady overall
For more information from the Virginia Department of Health, click here.