Virginia's 2,677 New Coronavirus Cases Include Weekend Backlog

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 2,677 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, reflecting a backlog from the weekend.

According to the VDH, the backlog is the result of the VDH data system being down for upgrades for a few hours over the weekend. Health officials say daily cases don't reflect the day the patient became ill. VDH also keeps data on confirmed cases by date of symptom onset.

Data may be incomplete for recent weeks, but November appears to have the day with the most cases by the start of symptoms. There were 1,297 cases with symptoms starting on Nov. 4, and the next highest was 1,290 on May 18.

This data is also available on a regional level. Data for Northern Virginia shows the peak time for cases by symptom onset date happened during May. While numbers were sometimes in the 500s or above during that time, cases by day have ranged from the 100s to 300s since then.

As a contrast, the southwest region had lower cases in the earlier months of the pandemic and has seen more in recent months. While daily cases never reached 100 until June 22, the peak for the region so far is 404 on Oct. 28.

Monday's new cases include 842 in the northern region, 599 in the eastern region, 456 in the southwest region, 435 in the central region, and 345 in the northwest region. The statewide seven-day positive average of PCR tests is 7.3 percent as of Nov. 12, while regional averages are 10.9 percent in the southwest region, 7.6 percent in the northern region, 6.3 percent in the eastern region, and 6 percent in the northwest and central regions. Across Virginia, 2,938,133 PCR tests have been reported, an increase of 17,396 from Sunday.

Deaths reported by date have fluctuated, but deaths by date on the death certificate show a clearer trend. The peak days for deaths so far were May 5 (51 deaths) and April 30 (49 deaths). Numbers may be incomplete for recent weeks, but daily deaths so far have been less than half of the May 5 peak.

Current hospitalizations are on the rise, reaching 1,337 on Monday. The seven-day average of COVID-19 patients is 1,283, not quite the 1,573 peak average on May 12. Hospitalizations by region include 343 in the southwest region, 333 in the northern region, 290 in the central region, 204 in the eastern region, and 167 in the northwest region.

According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, the 1,337 current COVID-19 patients include 118 on ventilators and 263 in the intensive care units. Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 27 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 78 percent. There are no hospitals reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment or other medical supplies in the next 72 hours.

There are some rays of hope about a COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna, Inc. announced Monday that its vaccine candidate showed 94.5 percent effectiveness in its study. Moderna plans to submit for an emergency use authorization with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks. By the end of 2020, the company anticipates around 20 million doses will be ready to ship in the U.S., and it could manufacture 500 million to 1 billion doses globally in 2021. That news follows a Nov. 9 announcement from Pfizer that its vaccine candidate achieved an effectiveness rate above 90 percent.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Sunday to Monday:

• Alexandria: 4,698 cases, 341 hospitalizations, 76 deaths; increase of 63 cases and five hospitalizations
• Arlington County: 5,380 cases, 561 hospitalizations, 157 deaths; increase of 82 cases
• Fairfax County: 26,829 cases, 2,410 hospitalizations, 610 deaths; increase of 397 cases and eight hospitalizations
• Fairfax City: 184 cases, 16 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of three cases, one hospitalization removed
• Falls Church: 82 cases, 14 hospitalizations, seven deaths; no changes
• Loudoun County: 8,894 cases, 516 hospitalizations, 136 deaths; increase of 84 cases and one death
• Manassas: 2,151 cases, 133 hospitalizations, 28 deaths; increase of 11 cases
• Manassas Park: 677 cases, 59 hospitalizations, eight deaths; no changes
• Prince William County: 15,979 cases, 1,045 hospitalizations, 229 deaths; increase of 222 cases and one hospitalization
• Fredericksburg: 638 cases, 55 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of six cases, one death removed
• Spotsylvania County: 2,770 cases, 168 hospitalizations, 56 deaths; increase of 40 cases and one death
• Stafford County: 2,798 cases, 180 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of 55 cases

SEE ALSO:

• Tighter Coronavirus Restrictions Announced By Virginia Governor
• Virginia 'Ready' To Distribute Coronavirus Vaccine Once Available