PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia’s virus metrics are continuing to rise as the commonwealth and the world confronts the new threat of the even more contagious omicron variant.
Virginia’s seeing a similar slope for hospitalizations compared to late summer, when the delta variant caused hospitalizations to increase about 10-fold from roughly 200 patients in mid-July to north of 2,000 patients in late September.
Virginia’s seen about a 400-patient increase in hospitalizations statewide in a two-week span. Cases are up about 70% compared to two weeks ago.
Hospitalizations are rising in most states, with a 21% increase compared to two weeks ago. Cases are up 40% in that span nationwide, per the New York Times’ coronavirus tracker. Deaths are up 34% to 1,302 on average per day in the U.S.
It’s still unclear just what the next few weeks will bring with omicron and the holiday season, but it most certainly will batter our country’s already overwhelmed health care system, Pulitzer-winning coronavirus reporter Ed Yong writes in his latest story for the Atlantic magazine. Yong’s piece is a must-read and he breaks down some of the keys points in a Twitter thread.
Basically you’re more likely to be infected even if you have a vaccine booster (though early data shows boosters could double your protection from infection from omicron) but most vaccinated people will be able to avoid severe symptoms.
Still, there always a threat of “long COVID” that can come with a “mild” case and the quickness in which omicron will likely spread means there’s a greater chance of severe infections that can pack hospitals.
State metrics
- New cases (+3,688, 1,009,933 total), 2,673 cases per day and rising
- Deaths (+30, 15,055 total), rising again (27 per day) after falling to 12 per day
- Current hospitalizations (+29, 1,430 total currently), rising again, up more than 400 patients compared to two weeks ago
- Test positivity: 8.5%, rising overall, up from 5-6% last month
- Vaccine doses administered: 13,444,934
- Percent of population with at least one dose: 75.8% (6,471,069)
- Percent of adults (18+) with at least one dose: 87.3%
- Percent of population fully vaccinated: 66.7% (5,691,650)
- Percent of adults fully vaccinated: 77.5%
- People vaccinated with booster/third dose: 1,673,503
For more vaccine data, click here.
Local cases
- Accomack: 4,315 cases, 332 hospitalized, 83 deaths (+13 cases, +1 hospitalized)
- Chesapeake: 30,612 cases, 1309 hospitalized, 375 deaths (+89 cases, -7 hospitalized)
- Franklin: 1,710 cases, 72 hospitalized, 43 deaths (+3 cases)
- Gloucester: 4,157 cases, 89 hospitalized, 82 deaths (+10 cases)
- Hampton: 15,899 cases, 587 hospitalized, 250 deaths (+23 cases, +1 death)
- Isle of Wight: 4,748 cases, 221 hospitalized, 93 deaths (+8 cases, +1 hospitalized)
- James City County: 7,696 cases, 252 hospitalized, 100 deaths (+14 cases, -29 hospitalized)
- Mathews: 944 cases, 28 hospitalized, 24 deaths (+6 cases)
- Newport News: 21,757 cases, 655 hospitalized, 308 deaths (+49 cases, -85 hospitalized)
- Norfolk: 25,809 cases, 1,340 hospitalized, 363 deaths (+39 cases, -1 hospitalized, +1 death)
- Northampton: 1,209 cases, 107 hospitalized, 48 deaths (+5 cases, +2 hospitalized)
- Poquoson: 1,425, cases, 37 hospitalized, 23 deaths (+1 cases)
- Portsmouth: 13,309 cases, 874 hospitalized, 254 deaths (+22 cases, -2 hospitalized)
- Southampton: 2,496 cases, 89 hospitalized, 72 deaths (+4 cases)
- Suffolk: 11,592 cases, 697 hospitalized, 252 deaths (+30 cases, +7 hospitalized)
- Virginia Beach: 53,121 cases, 2,631 hospitalized, 586 deaths (+141 cases, -32 hospitalized, +3 deaths)
- Williamsburg: 1,264 cases, 30 hospitalized, 13 deaths (+4 cases, -6 hospitalized)
- York: 5,925 cases, 126 hospitalized, 83 deaths (+9 cases, -hospitalized)
Locally, metrics are rising across the board. Norfolk’s seen a steady, steep increase in positive tests since early November.
Local test positivity: 9.16% on average, rising overall
- Chesapeake – 8.8%
- Eastern Shore – 9.4%
- Hampton – 7%
- Norfolk – 10.7%
- Peninsula – 8.6%
- Portsmouth – 10.5%
- Virginia Beach – 8.7%
- Western Tidewater – 9.6%