VA Coronavirus: Decontamination Systems For PPE; Case Updates

Emily Leayman
Updated ·4 min read

VIRGINIA — Virginia is receiving three decontamination systems to sterilize personal protective equipment (PPE) as Gov. Ralph Northam names maintaining PPE as one of his criteria for the first phase of easing coronavirus-related restrictions.

Northam said Saturday the three systems will be operating within the next week at the Marching Virginians Center on Blacksburg's Virginia Tech campus, a warehouse site in the Hampton Roads Sanitation District in Newport News, and the Vietnam Veterans Pavilion at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds. Another system delivered to DC last week is being shared by health care systems in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

"This innovative new technology will extend the life of critical PPE like N95 masks, giving our medical facilities and first responders greater access to much-needed supplies and helping the Commonwealth manage our resources amid a nationwide shortage," said Northam in a statement.

The system in Blacksburg will be jointly used by Virginia and West Virginia, with the latter providing generators. In addition, the system will be made available for other states such as Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina.

The federally-funded systems from FEMA are provided at no cost to Virginia for the first six months of use. Health care providers and first responder organizations will not be charged for decontamination services.

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Elective surgeries and non-emergency dental procedures resumed on Friday, May 1, but certain non-essential businesses are closed through May 8, and Virginia residents are stay-at-home order through June 10. Northam allowed his ban on elective surgeries to expire after April 30 as the state avoided a hospital resource surge from the new coronavirus crisis.

Northam said Friday he will provide a clearer picture on Monday of when Virginia can start the first reopening phase. He previously stated the first phase could begin no sooner than May 8 but hasn't confirmed an exact date. His criteria for the first phase includes the percentage of positive tests and hospitalizations trending down for 14 days, increased testing and contact tracing, sufficient hospital beds and intensive care capacity, and sustained supply of personal protective equipment. This phase will see continued social distancing, teleworking, limits on travel and public gatherings, and recommended use of face coverings.

The total number of cases includes 16,979 laboratory-confirmed cases and 752 probable cases among patients with symptoms and a known exposure to COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of the total deaths, 607 were confirmed positive cases.

On Saturday, 830 additional cases of the new coronavirus and 35 more deaths were reported by the Virginia Department of Health. The latest totals are 17,731 cases, 616 deaths and 2,519 hospitalizations.

The number of tests performed increased by 6,802 from Friday to Saturday, bringing the total to 112,450. Northam's testing goal for reopening the economy is 10,000 tests conducted per day.

State officials announced a change in the methodology of reporting testing Friday, which could explain a 14,805 increase from Thursday to Friday. State Health Commissioner Norm Oliver said that before the change, a COVID-19 patient tested multiple times was counted one time. Now the state is counting each time the person gets tested for the coronavirus. The state has created a new interactive map where residents can enter their zip code to find the nearest testing site.

The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is providing daily data on the status of hospitalized patients and resource use. As of Saturday, 1,426 patients with pending or confirmed new coronavirus test results are currently hospitalized, down five from Friday. There have been 2,312 COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals, down from 2,196 Friday.

Among Virginia patients with confirmed or pending test results, 375 are in the intensive care unit compared, up from 366 Friday. There are 202 COVID-19 patients using ventilators, up from 193 on Thursday. Overall, 589 of the available 2,932 ventilators are in use at hospitals, representing 20 percent use of ventilators in Virginia. That percentage stayed the same from Friday, when 2,953 ventilators were available.

One hospital reported having difficulty obtaining or replenishing personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours, and one hospital reported difficulty obtaining medical supplies in the same timeframe, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

Here are the latest case updates for localities in our Northern Virginia coverage area, as of Saturday:

  • Alexandria: 848 cases, 108 hospitalizations, 26 deaths

  • Arlington County: 1,044 cases, 191 hospitalizations, 46 deaths

  • Fairfax County: 4,046 cases, 686 hospitalizations, 153 deaths

  • Fairfax City: 29 cases, four hospitalizations, two deaths

  • Falls Church: 26 cases, three hospitalizations, two deaths

  • Loudoun County: 881 cases, 95 hospitalizations, 16 deaths

  • Manassas: 258 cases, 30 hospitalizations, two deaths

  • Manassas Park: 76 cases, nine hospitalizations, one death

  • Prince William County: 1,900 cases, 180 hospitalizations, 29 deaths

  • Fredericksburg: 37 cases, eight hospitalizations, no deaths

  • Spotsylvania County: 174 cases, 23 hospitalizations, four deaths

  • Stafford County: 262 cases, 47 hospitalizations, two deaths

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This article originally appeared on the Del Ray Patch