VA Positive Rate Drops Below 5%, Universities Sample Wastewater

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health reported 975 new coronavirus cases Saturday, in line with the 941 new cases on Friday. As of Saturday, the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases was 822.

The cumulative total number of cases in Virginia is 145,408 and the cumulative total number of coronavirus-related deaths across the state is 3,144. Hospitalizations have increased to 10,863, up from 10,806 reported on Friday.

With a 4.8 percent positive average of PCR tests statewide as of Sept. 22, Virginia dropped below the 5 percent rate recommended by the World Health Organization for governments to allow further reopening. At the peak of the pandemic, the percent positive figure in Virginia was more than 20 percent.

There have been 1,993,344 PCR tests completed in Virginia, an increase of 19,845 from Friday, according to the VDH.

On Friday morning, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and his wife, Pamela Northam, announced they have tested positive for the coronavirus after a member of the governor's residence staff also tested positive. While the governor has reported experiencing no symptoms of COVID-19 — the disease caused by the virus — Pamela Northam has reported experiencing mild symptoms.

Northam and his wife received PCR nasal swab tests Wednesday and received positive results. Both will isolate for the next 10 days following guidelines from the Virginia Department of Health.

Wastewater Virus Testing

Colleges in Virginia are now sampling wastewater for the coronavirus. People who have the coronavirus can shed the virus in their fecal matter, whether they are showing symptoms of the disease or not.

The University of Virginia is using technology that allows the school to gather samples from wastewater in a residence hall and run a test that will indicate if the coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, is present in the wastewater.

If the test suggests there is virus in the wastewater, UVA, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, will quickly review whether cases have been detected in the dormitory and a determination will be made that may lead to testing of all students living in the dorm.

At Virginia Tech, a team of researchers is testing wastewater at campus sites for the presence of the coronavirus, enabling the university to more rapidly identify and respond to positive tests. If the testing shows positive results, the university then can conduct targeted testing among people in those buildings to zero in on possible infections.

6 New Outbreaks Reported

Six new outbreaks were reported on Saturday, lifting the total number of outbreaks in Virginia to 1,010. A majority of the outbreaks are in long-term care facilities. There have been 22,671 coronavirus cases associated with these outbreaks across the state. At long-term care facility, 1,562 have died as part of these outbreaks since the start of the pandemic. Twenty-three people have died at the state's prisons.

There have been 17,255 total COVID-19 patients discharged from Virginia hospitals to date, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. As of Saturday, current hospitalizations include 111 COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 202 in the intensive care units.

Ventilator use is at 20 percent among all hospital patients, and ICU occupancy is at 81 percent. Virginia's 2019 average for ICU occupancy was 67 percent. No hospitals are reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours.

Among the coronavirus hospitalizations, 244 were reported in the state's central region as of Saturday followed by 227 in the eastern region, 217 in the northern region, 154 in the southwest region and 82 in the northwest region.

Here are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area between Friday and Saturday:

• Alexandria: 3,804 cases, 319 hospitalizations, 69 deaths; increase of 24 cases and one hospitalization
• Arlington County: 3,935 cases, 498 hospitalizations, 149 deaths; increase of 26 cases and one death
• Fairfax County: 20,687 cases, 2,153 hospitalizations, 586 deaths; increase of 60 cases, two hospitalizations removed
• Fairfax City: 136 cases, 14 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of one case
• Falls Church: 70 cases, 13 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one death
• Loudoun County: 6,792 cases, 429 hospitalizations, 124 deaths; increase of 18 cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas: 1,918 cases, 128 hospitalizations, 25 deaths; no changes reported
• Manassas Park: 610 cases, 54 hospitalizations, eight deaths; no changes reported
• Prince William County: 12,394 cases, 908 hospitalizations, 203 deaths; increase of 76 cases, six hospitalizations and one death.
• Fredericksburg: 539 cases, 49 hospitalizations, five deaths; increase of six cases
• Spotsylvania County: 2,131 cases, 132 hospitalizations, 44 deaths; increase of 10 cases
• Stafford County: 2,005 cases, 158 hospitalizations, 17 deaths; increase of seven cases and one hospitalization

SEE ALSO:

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