PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the second straight day on Thursday, after going three months without a day over 1,000 reported cases.

The percent of positive tests has also gone up nearly fourfould in just over a month, to 4.8% from a low of 1.3% on June 21.

State Metrics

  • New Cases (+1,101, 693,206 total), 808 per day
  • New Deaths (+3, 11,525 total), 5 per day
  • Current Hospitalizations (+0 patients, 448 total currently)
  • Vaccine doses administered:
    • percent of population with at least one dose: 60%
      • percent of adults (18+) with at least one dose: 71.9%
    • percent of population fully vaccinated: 53.8% (4,594,135)
      • percent of adults (18+) fully vaccinated: 64.9%

Virginia’s current COVID-19 hospitalizations held steady on Thursday at 448 patients but hospitalizations have been trending up overall. Reported deaths are still mostly steady around 5 per day.

Health officials have continued to emphasize that nearly all hospitalizations and deaths have been in unvaccinated people. And even through some “breakthrough” COVID cases have been reported in fully vaccinated people, most have “mild” or no symptoms.

WAVY’s Kayla Gaskins reported that turnout for a vaccine clinic in First Baptist Church Mahan in Suffolk was busier than usual on Wednesday. The clinic was in partnership with Hampton University and the Virginia Department of Health.

“I think it has a lot to do with the communication,” said the Rev. Dr. Steven Blunt. “But also persons are understanding the necessity of being vaccinated. And we’re trying our very best to boost those numbers so those persons can be healthy.”

Virginia’s averaging about 12,000 doses given per day.

Local Cases

Most of Hampton Roads’ cities and counties have either “high” or “substantial” levels of community transmission (high means more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the past 7 days or percentage of tests positive in the past 7 days over 10%).

“Our numbers now are more similar with where they were in October,” Chesapeake Health Department Director Dr. Nancy Welch told WAVY on Wednesday. “We are far from over,” Welch said. “We can create a whole new beginning if we are not careful.”

She said getting people vaccinated is key to stopping the delta variant, which would also help keep the virus from mutating into one that could get around current vaccines.

“If we don’t put a stop of the ability of that variant to thrive, to grow, to replicate and to be present with more people, then our vaccine is not going to work,” she added. “We have to start all over with a new vaccine.”

  • Accomack: 2,923 cases, 216 hospitalized 46 deaths (+3 cases)
  • Chesapeake: 21,786 cases, 1,060 hospitalized, 311 deaths (+46 cases, +1 hospitalized)
  • Franklin: 1,152 cases, 55 hospitalized, 33 deaths (+1 case)
  • Gloucester: 2,373 cases, 70 hospitalized, 52 deaths ( +23 cases)
  • Hampton: 10,982 cases, 471 hospitalized, 184 deaths (+29 cases, +1 hospitalized)
  • Isle of Wight: 3,255 cases, 157 hospitalized, 70 deaths (+4 cases)
  • James City County: 4,780 cases, 184 hospitalized, 72 deaths (+5 cases, +1 hospitalized)
  • Mathews: 610 cases, 24 hospitalized, 14 deaths (+1 case)
  • Newport News: 14,687 cases, 550 hospitalized, 242 deaths (+41 cases, -1 hospitalized)
  • Norfolk: 18,360 cases, 1,070 hospitalized, 274 deaths (+33 cases, +2 hospitalized)
  • Northampton: 811 cases, 82 hospitalized, 36 deaths (+4 cases)
  • Poquoson: 918 cases, 29 hospitalized, 18 deaths (no change)
  • Portsmouth: 9,382 cases, 710 hospitalized, 205 deaths (+25 cases)
  • Southampton: 2,007 cases, 58 hospitalized, 57 deaths (+1 case)
  • Suffolk: 8,187 cases, 491 hospitalized, 193 deaths ( +15 cases, +1 hospitalized, +1 death)
  • Virginia Beach: 37,301 cases, 1,770 hospitalized, 420 deaths (+69 cases, +2 hospitalized)
  • Williamsburg: 787 cases, 32 hospitalized, 14 deaths (+3 cases)
  • York: 3,922 cases, 98 hospitalized, 59 deaths (+11 cases)
Coronavirus Coverage on WAVY.com