Nearly Half Of Inmates At VA Prison Test Positive For Coronavirus

Mark Hand
·3 min read

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 757 new coronavirus cases and 19 new deaths on Monday. A total of 2,743 people in Virginia have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, 134,571 people have tested positive, and 10,293 people have been hospitalized.

Statewide, 1,773,158 PCR tests have been completed in Virginia as of Monday, an increase of 13,062 from Sunday. The 7-day average positive rate of tests is 7.2 percent statewide as of Sept. 10, down from 7.5 percent a day earlier.

Montgomery County, home to Blacksburg and Christiansburg, reported 92 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, the most in the state. Montgomery County is home to Virginia Tech where university officials suspended more than 40 students for not following public health guidelines.

The Deerfield Correctional Center, in southside Virginia between Emporia and Franklin, has 407 prisoners with the coronavirus. Two prisoners at Deerfield died Saturday, making a total of six prisoners who have died from COVID-19 at the prison, the most of any prison in Virginia, the state Department of Corrections said in a news release.

Forty-four percent of the 925 inmates at Deerfield have been diagnosed with coronavirus. The facility said all inmates have been tested for the disease.

Positive cases are trending down in Hampton Roads, where cases were surging earlier in the summer. Hampton Roads’ percent positivity of 7 percent as of Sept. 10 was lower than the statewide average on that date.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Virginia totaled 1,006 on Monday. The 7-day hospitalization average now stands at 1,050 patients, down from a 7-day average of 1,127 patients two weeks ago on Aug. 31, according to the VDH.

The eastern region of Virginia reported 280 hospitalizations on Monday and a 7-day hospitalization average of 307 patients. The northern region reported 241 hospitalizations and a 7-day average of 232 patients. The central region of Virginia reported 229 hospitalizations on Monday and a 7-day average of 255 patients. The southwest region reported 167 hospitalizations and a 7-day average of 162 patients, followed by 89 hospitalizations in the northwest region and a 7-day average of 95 patients.

According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, there were 110 COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 220 in the intensive care units as of Monday. Ventilator use among all Virginia hospital patients is at 20 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 77 percent. Two hospitals are reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours.

Here are the latest data updates for our coverage area between Sunday and Monday:

  • Alexandria: 3,613 cases, 305 hospitalizations, 62 deaths; increase of 11 cases

  • Arlington County: 3,741 cases, 487 hospitalizations, 145 deaths; increase of 14 cases and three hospitalizations

  • Fairfax County: 19,658 cases, 2,116 hospitalizations, 568 deaths; increase of 57 cases, five hospitalizations

  • Fairfax City: 129 cases, 13 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case

  • Falls Church: 67 cases, 11 hospitalizations, seven deaths; no changes

  • Loudoun County: 6,449 cases, 411 hospitalizations, 118 deaths; increase of six cases and one hospitalization

  • Manassas: 1,864 cases, 127 hospitalizations, 24 deaths; increase of three cases

  • Manassas Park: 595 cases, 54 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of one case

  • Prince William County: 11,688 cases, 886 hospitalizations, 191 deaths; increase of 23 cases

  • Fredericksburg: 516 cases, 49 hospitalizations, four deaths; increase of one case

  • Spotsylvania County: 2,014 cases, 129 hospitalizations, 39 deaths; increase of three cases

  • Stafford County: 1,869 cases, 147 hospitalizations, 13 deaths; increase of 11 cases

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This article originally appeared on the Fairfax City Patch