VA Coronavirus Cases Drop Below 1K For First Time Since October

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 892 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the first time cases have dropped below 1,000 since Oct. 26. Northern Virginia reported 275 new cases.

The seven-day case average peaked at 6,166 on Jan. 18. Since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed on March 7, 2020, 586,592 cases have been recorded in Virginia. There were 87 new deaths reported on Monday, bringing the cumulative death toll to 9,683.

Current hospitalizations stand at 1,141 statewide. The number includes 244 in intensive care units and 161 on ventilators. Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 31 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 76 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

The seven-day average of positive PCR tests stands at 6.0 percent statewide as of March 4, down from a peak of 17.4 percent on Jan. 3. An average of 19,677 daily PCR testing encounters were reported statewide on March 5, down from a peak of 35,030 on Jan. 14.

As of Monday, 2,306,251 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Virginia, according to the state Department of Health.

Across Virginia, 1,491,065 people have received at least one dose (17.5 percent of the population) and 823,887 people are fully vaccinated (9.7 percent of the population). A total of 52,575 vaccines are being administered per day in Virginia, as of Monday.

Local health departments lead the state with 734,062 total doses given, followed by hospitals with 634,683 total doses, medical practices with 284,035, long-term care facilities with 260,746, community health providers with 224,807 and pharmacies with 167,918.

South Africa Variant In Central Region

The VDH announced Monday that the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351, known as the South Africa variant, has been identified in a sample from an adult in the Central region of Virginia. The person had no history of travel during the exposure period.

The variant, which first emerged in South Africa in late 2020, is associated with increased person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus. At this time, there is no evidence that infections with this variant cause more severe disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified Virginia of the case, which was identified at a commercial laboratory.

With the identification of this case in the Central region, Virginia has now identified a total of 11 cases of the South Africa variant and 31 cases of the U.K. variant, which is believed to be more easily transmitted and causes more severe symptoms.

To date, the South Africa variant has been found in 20 states in the U.S., with a total of 81 cases.

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

• Alexandria: 10,456 cases, 514 hospitalizations, 126 deaths; increase of 11 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Arlington County: 13,456 cases, 777 hospitalizations, 239 deaths; increase of 23 cases and two deaths
• Fairfax County: 67,820 cases, 3,559 hospitalizations, 1,012 deaths; increase of 127 cases, seven hospitalizations and seven deaths
• Fairfax City: 499 cases, 38 hospitalizations, 15 deaths; increase of one case and one death
• Falls Church: 361 cases, 20 hospitalizations, nine deaths; increase of two cases
• Loudoun County: 23,533 cases, 881 hospitalizations, 254 deaths; increase of 61 cases and one death
• Manassas: 4,050 cases, 163 hospitalizations, 41 deaths; increase of three cases
• Manassas Park: 1,129 cases, 66 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; no changes
• Prince William County: 39,983 cases, 1,422 hospitalizations, 454 deaths; increase of 47 cases, two hospitalizations and three deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,796 cases, 93 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of four cases
• Spotsylvania County: 8,445 cases, 284 hospitalizations, 103 deaths; increase of six cases and one death
• Stafford County: 9,687 cases, 320 hospitalizations, 68 deaths; increase of 16 cases