PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia’s 7-day average of new COVID-19 cases almost topped 1,000 cases per day for the first time in nearly three weeks after the Virginia Department of Health reported 1,021 new cases on Tuesday.
Most of the new cases are now coming from other areas of the state and not the Eastern region, which reported less than 200 new cases again on Tuesday. The Eastern region (Hampton Roads) now has a 7-day average of 203 cases per day, nearly 300 cases per day lower than late July, and accounts for about 14% of the state’s overall cases. The percentage had been nearly 50% just a few weeks ago.
Statewide numbers:
- New cases: (+1,021, 121,615 total) — Trend up over last two weeks, but steady overall
- New deaths (+32 2,612 total) — Trend up over last two weeks, but steady overall
- Hospitalizations (-43 patients, 1,039 total) —Trend down over last three weeks
- Testing (7.7% 7-day average of positive tests) — steady overall, but up 1.5% since August 22 (mostly outside Eastern region)
The Southwest, Northwest and Northern regions have seen their numbers go up, making Virginia’s statewide average essentially the same as this time last month (roughly 1,000 cases per day). The case increases have been exacerbated by students returning to college campuses statewide, with more than 500 cases at James Madison University and 150 at Virginia Tech.
JMU just started classes five days ago on August 26. For perspective, the University of Alabama reported 530 cases in its first week of classes.
Hospitalizations statewide have trended down, but deaths remain steady (with an upward trend over the last two weeks).
Hampton Roads’ hospitalizations are also going down with the decreases in cases, but reported deaths are still at their highest levels of the pandemic at about 6 per day. However deaths lag cases, so deaths should hopefully start to come down with the recent case decreases.
And while places such as Norfolk and Virginia Beach see the percent of positive cases decrease (Virginia Beach down to 5.8%), the Hampton Roads region is still reporting a 10% overall positivity rate.
Here’s the latest cumulative count for Hampton Roads
Accomack 1,148 cases, 87 hospitalized, 19 deaths (+3 cases, +1 hospitalized)
Chesapeake: 3,811 cases, 328 hospitalized, 48 deaths (+10 cases, +6 hospitalized, +1 death)
Franklin: 312 cases, 8 hospitalized, 6 deaths
Gloucester: 204 cases, 13 hospitalized, 2 deaths
Hampton: 1,562 cases, 54 hospitalized, 16 deaths (+8 cases)
Isle of Wight: 560 cases, 25 hospitalized, 11 deaths (+8 cases)
James City County: 746 cases, 63 hospitalized, 18 deaths (+3 cases)
Mathews: 23 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths
Newport News: 2,335 cases, 89 hospitalized, 27 deaths (+18 cases, +2 deaths)
Norfolk: 4,406 cases, 288 hospitalized, 55 deaths (+12 cases, +3 hospitalized, +3 deaths)
Northampton: 304 cases, 49 hospitalized, 29 deaths
Poquoson: 68 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+1 case)
Portsmouth: 2,234 cases, 180 hospitalized, 36 deaths (+21 cases, +5 hospitalized, +2 deaths)
Southampton: 359 cases, 15 hospitalized, 13 deaths (+8 cases)
Suffolk: 1,660, 113 hospitalized, 61 deaths (+25 cases)
Virginia Beach: 6,049 cases, 321 hospitalized, 69 deaths (+21 cases, +1 death)
Williamsburg: 155 cases, 12 hospitalized, 6 deaths
York: 467 cases, 15 hospitalized, 6 deaths (+6 cases)
Key local metrics
- 144 new cases, trending down overall
- 9 new deaths, steady, reported deaths at highest levels of pandemic
- -12 current hospitalizations, trending down
- 7-day rate of positive tests (excluding Eastern Shore): 9.9% — trending back up
Chesapeake — 12.2% — trending back up
Eastern Shore — 2.2% — trending down, low overall, (low overall testing)
Hampton— 9.3% — back up after dip
Norfolk — 8.5 % — trending down overall from high of 17% reported on July 12
Peninsula — 10.4% — trending back up, almost back to recent high of 11.5% on July 17
Portsmouth — 10.8% — trending down from recent high of 18.6%
Virginia Beach — 5.8% — trending down from recent high of 12.4%
Western Tidewater — 12.3% — steady around 12%
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is holding a press conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday to address the state’s coronavirus response.
It’ll be his first such briefing in nearly a month, and comes as some in the commonwealth — particularly including in Hampton Roads — call for the loosening of restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
This article will be updated. For more data on coronavirus in Virginia, visit the Virginia Department of Health’s website.