PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia reported its lowest number of new daily COVID-19 cases in nearly three months on Monday with 449.
New reported cases are typically lower on Mondays, but there has been a recent trend of lower case numbers. The commonwealth’s 7-day average of new cases is now down to 779 cases per day, more than 200 cases per day lower than just over a week ago.
Statewide numbers:
New cases: (+449, 146,593 total), down more than 200-plus cases per day on average compared to recent weeks
New deaths (+13, 3,172 total), VDH finished inputting backlog, deaths steady
Hospitalizations (+22 patients, 890 total), trending down overall
Testing (4.7% 7-day average of positive tests), steep recent downward trend
With the recent decreases in cases, the percent of positive tests statewide and in Hampton Roads is also down. Virginia’s average dropped by about 3% in recent weeks, to its lowest level since VDH started recording percent positivity. Hampton Roads is overall is at 5%, but that’s inflated by higher numbers in Western Tidewater (Suffolk, Southampton, etc.)
Deaths still remain steady overall, but remember that deaths lag cases and hospitalizations. VDH’s “deaths by date of death” chart is steady until about Sept. 6, before getting into the darker shades of gray where deaths may not have been reported yet. The average of daily deaths, about 15 per day for about two months, could start to drop with lower overall case numbers statewide.
A more immediate indicator of progress is hospitalizations, which are continuing to drop in Virginia despite other states reporting recent upward trends.
Here’s the latest cumulative count for Hampton Roads
- Accomack 1,175 cases, 90 hospitalized, 19 deaths (no change)
- Chesapeake: 4,315 cases, 413 hospitalized, 72 deaths (+16 cases, +4 hospitalizations)
- Franklin 416 cases, 19 hospitalized, 9 deaths (+1 case)
- Gloucester: 247 cases, 13 hospitalized, 2 deaths (+3 cases)
- Hampton: 1,827 cases, 65 hospitalized, 26 deaths (+8 cases, +2 deaths)
- Isle of Wight: 742 cases, 35 hospitalized, 19 deaths (+3 cases)
- James City County: 852 cases, 65 hospitalized, 20 deaths (+1 case, +1 hospitalized)
- Mathews: 74 cases, 6 hospitalized, 0 deaths (no change)
- Newport News: 2,744 cases, 100 hospitalized, 39 deaths (+11 cases, +1 death)
- Norfolk: 4,840 cases, 364 hospitalized, 78 deaths (+16 cases, +1 hospitalized)
- Northampton: 305 cases, 49 hospitalized, 31 deaths (no change)
- Poquoson: 75 cases, 3 hospitalized, 2 deaths (+1 case)
- Portsmouth: 2,561 cases, 276 hospitalized, 59 deaths (+2 cases)
- Southampton: 757 cases, 22 hospitalized, 23 deaths (no change)
- Suffolk: 1,974 cases, 123 hospitalized, 72 deaths (+2 cases)
- Virginia Beach: 6,858 cases, 374 hospitalized, 91 deaths (+32 cases, +1 death)
- Williamsburg: 182 cases, 12 hospitalized, 7 deaths (+1 case)
- York: 546 cases, 16 hospitalized, 8 deaths (+1 case)
Key local metrics
- 98 new cases, trending down
- 4 new deaths, steady overall
- +15 hospitalizations, trending down overall
- 7 day rate of positive tests (excluding Eastern Shore): 5%, trending down
- 7-day rate of positive tests (excluding Eastern Shore and Western Tidewater): 3.7%.
Chesapeake — 4.7% — steady after steep drop
Eastern Shore — 1.4% — low overall, (low overall testing)
Hampton— 3% — trending down (steep drop)
Norfolk — 4% — steady after steep drop
Peninsula — 3% — trending down (steep drop)
Portsmouth — 3.8% — steep drop
Virginia Beach — 3.8% — steady decline
Western Tidewater — 12.8% — trending back up overall
Overall Virginia and Hampton Roads are continuing to chip away at the state’s virus levels as we head toward winter and the reopening of schools for in-person learning. Virginia Beach, the largest city in the commonwealth, reopens schools on Tuesday.
For more information from the Virginia Department of Health, click here.