Nearly 800K Virginians Fully Vaccinated, Positivity Rate Dropping

VIRGINIA — As of Saturday, 2,220,399 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Virginia, according to the state Department of Health. Local health departments lead the state with 696,395 total doses given, followed by hospitals with 625,737 total doses.

In Virginia, a large percentage of residents 75 and older are fully vaccinated or have an appointment to get either their first or second vaccine shot. A growing number of people between the ages of 18 and 64 with underlying conditions also have received their first vaccine shot.

Across Virginia, 1,438,512 people have received at least one dose (16.9 percent of the population) and 782,229 people are fully vaccinated (9.2 percent of the population). A total of 53,455 vaccines are being administered per day in Virginia, as of Saturday.

The state, together with local health districts, have aimed to set up orderly vaccination systems. These systems contrast with Washington, D.C., where residents have had to deal with the anxiety associated with a first-come, first-serve portal system that has malfunctioned on several days.

See also: How To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Virginia

Next week, due to the stress of the first-come, first-served system and technological problems, the District of Columbia is launching a new pre-registration system similar to Virginia's, where D.C. residents and workers will give DC Health information about themselves and eventually receive a notification by email, call, or text message letting them know to make an appointment.

Pharmacies are lagging behind local health districts in administering vaccines. Among the entities offering vaccines in Virginia, pharmacies are at the back of the back, as of Saturday, with only 156,258 vaccines administered.

On Friday, though, CVS announced it had significantly increased the number of locations that are administering COVID-19 vaccinations in Virginia. CVS locations in 64 Virginia communities are offering vaccine scheduling, up from 33 communities when the company began offering vaccine appointments on Feb. 12.

At CVS pharmacies in Virginia, vaccine appointments are available to people 65 and older, as well as K-12 teachers, daycare and preschool workers and staff.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children

On Friday, the Southside Health District confirmed a case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. The Southside Health District serves Mecklenburg, Brunswick and Halifax counties.

The child who contracted MIS-C has recovered. To protect their privacy, the health department is not disclosing any additional information about the child. The VDH has reported 38 cases of MIS-C, but no child has died from the syndrome.

SEE ALSO: First Virginia Child Under 10 Dies From COVID-19 Complications

MIS-C, previously called Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome, is a new health condition associated with COVID-19. The first reports of the syndrome came from the United Kingdom in late April 2020. U.S. cases were first reported in New York City in early May 2020. MIS-C may cause problems with a child’s heart and other organs.

Most children with MIS-C have fever lasting several days and may show symptoms of irritability or decreased activity, abdominal pain without another explanation, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, conjunctivitis, lack of appetite, red or cracked lips, red or bumpy tongue, or swollen hands and feet.

Virginia 'Red Zone' Areas Declining

Five Virginia metro areas and 39 counties remain in the COVID-19 pandemic's "red zone," according to the latest report issued by the White House COVID-19 Team on Thursday. The numbers are down again from the previous week when six Virginia metro areas and 43 counties were still in the red zone.

No cities or counties in Northern Virginia or the Fredericksburg area remain in the red zone. Red zones are metro areas and counties that during the previous week reported new cases at or above 101 per 100,000 population and a lab test positivity result at or above 10.1 percent.

Prince William County, Loudoun County, the city of Manassas, Stafford County and Spotsylvania County are among the jurisdictions in the region in the "orange zone." Metro areas and counties that reported new cases between 51 and 100 per 100,000 population and a lab test positivity result between 8.0 and 10.0 percent, or one of those two conditions and one condition qualifying as being in the red zone, are considered to be in the orange zone.

Among other jurisdictions in the region, the cities of Alexandria and Winchester and the counties of Fairfax and Fauquier are now in the "yellow zone," the lowest of the most serious zones.

Metro areas and counties that during the previous week reported both new cases between 10 and 50 per 100,000 population, and a lab test positivity result between 5.0 and 7.9 percent, or one of those two conditions and one condition qualifying as being in the orange zone or red zone, are considered to be in the yellow zone.

Virginia has the 14th-highest coronavirus percent positivity rate among its residents, according to the report. A week ago, Virginia had the 12th highest percent positivity rate in the nation. Texas, New Hampshire and Oklahoma lead the nation with the highest percent positivity rates.

The new COVID-19 weekly state report was the sixth one released by President Joe Biden's administration since the new president took office. Former President Donald Trump's administration declined to release the weekly COVID-19 reports for each state during the pandemic.

COVID-19 Data

On Saturday, 1,477 new coronavirus cases were reported in Virginia, bringing the seven-day average of daily cases to 1,460. At a peak, the case average had been 6,166 on Jan. 18. Northern Virginia had 397 new cases and a seven-day average of 391 cases.

Since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed on March 7, 2020, 584,537 cases have been recorded in Virginia. There were 91 new deaths reported on Saturday, bringing the cumulative death toll to 9,519.

Current hospitalizations stand at 1,163 statewide, a level last seen in early November. The number includes 263 in the intensive care units and 160 on ventilators. Northern Virginia has 244 current COVID-19 patients. Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 31 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 79 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

The seven-day average of positive PCR tests stands at 6.3 percent statewide as of March 2, down from a peak of 17.4 percent on Jan. 3. Northern Virginia's average percent positivity also stands at 6.3 percent as of March 3, compared to a winter peak of 16.6 percent on Jan. 2.

On average, 20,187 statewide PCR testing encounters are reported daily, down from a peak of 35,030 on Jan. 14.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Friday to Saturday:

• Alexandria: 10,429 cases, 512 hospitalizations, 123 deaths; increase of 25 cases and one hospitalization
• Arlington County: 13,391 cases, 777 hospitalizations, 237 deaths; increase of 49 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Fairfax County: 67,533 cases, 3,549 hospitalizations, 999 deaths; increase of 134 cases, 13 hospitalizations and nine deaths
• Fairfax City: 498 cases, 38 hospitalizations, 14 deaths; increase of one case and one death
• Falls Church: 358 cases, 20 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of four cases
• Loudoun County: 23,418 cases, 881 hospitalizations, 252 deaths; increase of 66 cases and two hospitalizations
• Manassas: 4,046 cases, 163 hospitalizations, 41 deaths; increase of 17 cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas Park: 1,129 cases, 66 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; no changes
• Prince William County: 39,868 cases, 1,420 hospitalizations, 450 deaths; increase of 101 cases, 13 hospitalizations and four deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,790 cases, 93 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of two cases
• Spotsylvania County: 8,418 cases, 284 hospitalizations, 102 deaths; increase of 16 cases and one hospitalization
• Stafford County: 9,659 cases, 320 hospitalizations, 68 deaths; increase of 10 cases and nine hospitalizations