134 Coronavirus Deaths Reported In Virginia, Cases Trend Down

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health recorded 134 new deaths related to COVID-19 on Sunday, a new high for the state. Of these, 26 were in the northern region.

Sunday's record 134 deaths were preceded by 99 on Sunday, the second highest count. VDH attributed Saturday's number to a data lag as it works through 2021 death certificates. The health department has noted that reports of deaths related to COVID-19 often lag behind the actual dates of death due to delays in verifying the cause of death and obtaining death certificates.

VDH also tracks data on deaths by the date on the death certificates, but data is considered incomplete for recent weeks. So far, the date with the most deaths by death certificate data is Dec. 31 with 63 deaths. The cumulative total of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is 7,331.

Other COVID-19 metrics — cases, hospitalizations and the positive average of tests, are trending downward. On Sunday, 2,303 new cases were reported, bringing the cumulative total to 564,115 cases. The seven-day average of daily cases is 2,017, which is the lowest average since late November. Northern Virginia had 660 new cases on Sunday and an average of 458 daily cases, the lowest average since mid-November.

The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized stands at 1,591, which includes 312 in the intensive care units and 186 on ventilators. The hospitalization number is the lowest since late November. According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, ICU occupancy among all Virginia hospital patients is at 77 percent, and 32 percent of ventilators are in use.

As of Feb. 18, the positive average of PCR tests is 8.2 percent statewide and 7.5 percent in Northern Virginia. The seven-day average of daily PCR testing encounters is 20,833 statewide and 5,362 in Northern Virginia.

Residents are urged to continue mitigation measures with the presence of new variants in Virginia. The B.1.351 variant, first found in late 2020 in South Africa, has been confirmed in the southwest and eastern regions. This variant, first found in late 2020 in South Africa, is believed to have increased transmission, but there is no indication it causes more severe illness.

The B.1.1.7 variant, first found in the United Kingdom in late 2020, has been found in the eastern, northwest and northern regions. This variant is also believed to have increased transmission. A preliminary report from UK experts indicates the variant may cause more severe illness than other variants but more studies are needed to confirm.

"The more people that become infected, the greater that chance the virus will mutate and a variant will arise that could undermine the current vaccination efforts," VDH said in its latest news release about the variants. "Public health recommendations for stopping the spread of COVID-19 will work for all COVID-19 variants. This means wearing masks correctly, staying at least six feet from others, avoiding crowds, washing hands often, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 when it is your turn, and staying home if you are infected with COVID-19 or if you have had close contact with someone with COVID-19."

Vaccinations continue after a statewide vaccine registration form and hotline were introduced. As of Sunday, 1,574,229 doses have been administered, or about 82 percent of the 1,902,295 doses distributed. There are 1,111,112 people with at least one dose, about 13 percent of Virginia's population. A total of 463,117 are fully vaccinated, or about 5 percent of the population.

The state is averaging 36,181 doses administered per day. Hospitals lead with 525,727 total doses given, followed by local health departments with 473,196, long-term care facilities with 187,564, medical practices with 165,336, community health providers with 154,721 and pharmacies with 67,685.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Saturday and Sunday:

• Alexandria: 10,171 cases, 503 hospitalizations, 105 deaths; increase of 37 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Arlington County: 12,870 cases, 753 hospitalizations, 213 deaths; increase of 65 cases and one death
• Fairfax County: 65,204 cases, 3,463 hospitalizations, 851 deaths; increase of 283 cases, four hospitalizations and 10 deaths
• Fairfax City: 479 cases, 36 hospitalizations, 13 deaths; increase of one case, one hospitalization and one death
• Falls Church: 342 cases, 20 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of three cases
• Loudoun County: 22,654 cases, 831 hospitalizations, 200 deaths; increase of 97 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Manassas: 3,955 cases, 161 hospitalizations, 35 deaths; increase of 13 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Manassas Park: 1,113 cases, 66 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of one case
• Prince William County: 38,678 cases, 1,366 hospitalizations, 345 deaths; increase of 160 cases and 11 deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,720 cases, 91 hospitalizations, 14 deaths; increase of three cases
• Spotsylvania County: 8,121 cases, 266 hospitalizations, 88 deaths; increase of 27 cases
• Stafford County: 9,333 cases, 301 hospitalizations, 58 deaths; increase of 23 cases, one hospitalization and three deaths