South Africa Variant In 3 Virginia Regions, UK Variant In All 5

VIRGINIA — The UK variant of the coronavirus has been identified in all five regions of Virginia, and the South Africa variant has been confirmed in three regions, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The northwest region's first case of the B.1.351 variant, first identified in South Africa in late 2020, was reported Tuesday. The adult resident had no travel during the exposure period. Two other cases were reported in the eastern region, and one was reported in the southwest region from a resident who returned from international travel. The B.1.351 variant is associated with increased transmission, but evidence suggests it does not cause more severe illness. The first case in Virginia was identified on Feb. 5 in the eastern region.

As for the B.1.1.7 variant, there are 20 cases to date in all regions of Virginia. This variant was first identified in the United Kingdom in 2020 and is associated with increased transmission. Preliminary findings from UK experts indicate the variant causes more severe illness, but more studies are needed for confirmation. The first case in the state had been reported on Jan. 25 in Northern Virginia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 46 U.S. jurisdictions with the B.1.1.7 variant and 16 with the B.1.351 as of Feb. 28. Five jurisdictions have the P.1 variant, first identified in Brazil.

VDH expects to see new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 illness as it spreads. Health officials say the more the virus spreads, the more likely it is to mutate and create a variant that undermines vaccination efforts. Mitigation measures recommended by public health officials apply to all variants of the coronavirus: wearing masks correctly, staying at least six feet from others, avoiding crowds, washing hands often, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 when available, and staying home when sick with COVID-19 or if you had close contact with someone with COVID-19.

Vaccine update

As of Tuesday, 2,016,769 vaccine doses have been administered in Virginia. There are 1,318,890 people with at least one dose (15.5 percent of the population) and 697,879 fully vaccinated (8.2 percent of the population). The state is averaging 42,088 doses administered per day.

Vaccine demographics data is available on a locality and statewide level. Residents can see the vaccine count and rate per 100,000 for age groups and race and ethnicity groups.

This week, the state is expecting increased supply with the new Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine received emergency use authorization from the FDA on Saturday, and the first weekly shipment in Virginia is expected to have 69,000 doses. These initial doses will be prioritized for mass vaccination clinics across the state. Another allocation is expected for pharmacies participating in a federal program to help vaccine priority groups, such as residents 65 and older.

COVID-19 data

On Tuesday, 1,385 additional coronavirus cases were reported in Virginia, including 302 in Northern Virginia. The seven-day average of daily cases statewide is 1,646, compared to a peak of 6,166 on Jan. 18. The cumulative total of cases stands at 578,559.

There were 160 new deaths associated with COVID-19 reported on Tuesday, 26 of which were in Northern Virginia. VDH continues to add a large number of deaths as it processes 2021 death certificates associated with the post-holiday surge of cases. The cumulative total of deaths is 8,943.

Current hospitalizations overall have been trending down since mid-January. As of Tuesday, there were 1,343 current COVID-19 patients, including 305 in the intensive care units and 200 on ventilators. Northern Virginia has 262 current patients.

As reported by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, ICU occupancy among all hospital patients is at 75 percent, and ventilator use was at 31 percent.

Virginia's seven-day average of positive tests fell below 7 percent to as of Feb. 26. The average has been trending down since reaching a winter peak of 17.4 percent on Jan. 3. Northern Virginia's average is 6.3 percent on Feb. 26, compared to a winter peak of 16.6 percent on Jan. 2.

The average number of daily PCR testing encounters has been trending down since peaking at 35,028 on Jan. 14. The latest average is 21,531.

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

• Alexandria: 10,352 cases, 511 hospitalizations, 120 deaths; increase of 10 cases, two hospitalizations and one death
• Arlington County: 13,215 cases, 770 hospitalizations, 232 deaths; increase of 33 cases and three deaths
• Fairfax County: 66,825 cases, 3,519 hospitalizations, 956 deaths; increase of 122 cases, 12 hospitalizations and seve deaths
• Fairfax City: 492 cases, 37 hospitalizations, 13 deaths; increase of one case
• Falls Church: 353 cases, 20 hospitalizations, seven deaths; no changes
• Loudoun County: 23,183 cases, 872 hospitalizations, 246 deaths; increase of 57 cases, seven hospitalizations and nine deaths
• Manassas: 4,010 cases, 162 hospitalizations, 40 deaths; increase of six cases and one death
• Manassas Park: 1,126 cases, 66 hospitalizations and 11 deaths; one case removed
• Prince William County: 39,472 cases, 1,390 hospitalizations, 424 deaths; increase of 74 cases, one hospitalization and four deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,785 cases, 93 hospitalizations, 21 deaths; increase of two cases and two deaths
• Spotsylvania County: 8,341 cases, 281 hospitalizations, 100 deaths; increase of 41 cases
• Stafford County: 9,620 cases, 310 hospitalizations, 68 deaths; increase of 38 cases, one hospitalization and one death