VA Governor Orders Flags At Half-Staff To Honor COVID-19 Victims

VIRGINIA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a proclamation declaring Sunday, March 14 a day of prayer and remembrance to honor the Virginians who have died from COVID-19.

The governor also ordered Virginia flags to be lowered on all state and local buildings and grounds from sunrise on Sunday and remain at half-staff until sunset.

The first death in Virginia was recorded a year ago, on March 14, 2020. A total of 9,985 Virginians have died from the disease, as of March 13. “As we commemorate the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, we call on all Virginians to pause in memory of those we have lost to the virus,” the governor’s proclamation reads.

The governor’s mansion in Richmond will be illuminated with an amber light from Sunday, March 14 until Sunday, March 21 to pay tribute to the nearly 10,000 Virginians who have died from COVID-19. The governor is inviting people across the state to join in commemorating the lives lost by lighting their homes and businesses amber.

“While we cannot bring them back, we can honor their memories — and prevent more grief and loss — by working together to keep each other safe,” Northam said in a statement. “One year into this pandemic, we are seeing an ever-brighter light at the end of a long tunnel, and we can be hopeful that better days are ahead.”

The Northam administration also is creating a portal where Virginians can share the names and stories of their loved ones. The administration will provide additional information about the portal in the coming weeks.

Del. Delores McQuinn also introduced a resolution during the 2021 General Assembly session designating March 14 in 2021 and in each succeeding year as Victims of COVID-19 Remembrance Day in Virginia.

NoVA Drops Out Of 'Red' And 'Orange' Zones

Only one Virginia metro area and 19 counties remain in the COVID-19 pandemic's "red zone," according to the latest report issued by the White House COVID-19 Team on Friday. The numbers are down considerably from the previous week when five Virginia metro areas and 39 counties were still in the red zone.

No cities or counties in Northern Virginia or the Fredericksburg area remain in the red or orange zones. 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.

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.

SEE ALSO: How To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Virginia

The counties of Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Stafford and Spotsylvania and the cities of Alexandria, Manassas and Fredericksburg are among the jurisdictions in the "yellow zone."

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 13th-highest coronavirus percent positivity rate among its residents, according to the report. A week ago, Virginia had the 14th highest percent positivity rate in the nation. Texas, Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma lead the nation with the highest percent positivity rates.

The new COVID-19 weekly state report was the seventh 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, the state health department reported 1,348 new coronavirus cases. Northern Virginia reported 358 new cases.

Since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed on March 7, 2020, 593,562 cases have been recorded in Virginia. There were 24 new deaths reported on Saturday, bringing the cumulative death toll to 9,985.

As of Saturday, current hospitalizations stand at 1,116 statewide. Among the patients are 220 in intensive care units and 133 on ventilators. Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 30 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 78 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

The seven-day average of positive PCR tests stands at 5.5 percent statewide as of March 9, down from a peak of 17.4 percent on Jan. 3. An average of 18,547 daily PCR testing encounters were reported statewide on March 9, down from a peak of 35,030 on Jan. 14.

As of Saturday, 2,623,902 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Virginia, according to the state Department of Health.

Across Virginia, 1,720,145 people have received at least one dose (20.0 percent of the population) and 971,254 people are fully vaccinated (11.4 percent of the population). A total of 55,154 vaccines are being administered per day in Virginia, as of Saturday.

Local health departments lead the state with 834,689 total doses given, followed by hospitals with 688,671 total doses, medical practices with 344,299, long-term care facilities with 292,850, community health providers with 247,241 and pharmacies with 215,972.

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

• Alexandria: 10,548 cases, 518 hospitalizations, 128 deaths; increase of 19 cases and one death
• Arlington County: 13,603 cases, 781 hospitalizations, 242 deaths; increase of 44 cases
• Fairfax County: 68,491 cases, 3,582 hospitalizations, 1,032 deaths; increase of 145 cases, five hospitalizations and one death
• Fairfax City: 505 cases, 40 hospitalizations, 16 deaths; increase of two cases
• Falls Church: 366 cases, 20 hospitalizations, nine deaths; increase of two cases
• Loudoun County: 23,848 cases, 901 hospitalizations, 264 deaths; increase of 66 cases and one death
• Manassas: 4,065 cases, 165 hospitalizations, 42 deaths; increase of five cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas Park: 1,135 cases, 66 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; increase of one case
• Prince William County: 40,338 cases, 1,472 hospitalizations, 466 deaths; increase of 74 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Fredericksburg: 1,814 cases, 93 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; no changes
• Spotsylvania County: 8,548 cases, 286 hospitalizations, 106 deaths; increase of eight cases and two deaths
• Stafford County: 9,802 cases, 333 hospitalizations, 69 deaths; increase of 24 cases

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