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As coronavirus cases surge, Virginia leaders urge caution around the holiday

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AdvertisementBy The Virginian-PilotNov 22, 2020 at 9:00 amCoronavirus cases are swiftly rising throughout the nation, with Virginia leaders preemptively asking residents to do their part to slow the spread during Thanksgiving.Stay home for the holiday, hold your celebration outdoors or get together with friends and family online.AdvertisementWhile the pandemic has not reached the level it has in other parts of the country, more people are getting sick in Virginia every day. The sharp increase seen in the southwestern corner of the state a few weeks ago is steadily moving east. Now the central region is seeing substantial viral activity as well, according to the Virginia Department of Health.The state reported 2,544 new cases, its second highest COVID-19 caseload of the pandemic, on Friday. It was topped by Monday’s 2,677, but that total was somewhat inflated because of backlogs in data reporting, state public health officials said.AdvertisementGov. Ralph Northam, a pediatric neurologist, said the flu season is already a demanding time of year for health care workers. These days his former colleagues seem to be burning the candle at both ends.“I’m in contact with these people because that’s my business, that was my life before I became governor,” he said . “They’re tired. They’re fatigued. They’re seeing people die, and it’s tough.”If the virus continues on this trajectory, Virginia might see a peak of 45,000 cases a week by mid-February, potentially putting strain on hospitals and other medical facilities, according to . The center is partnering with the state health department to offer data-based COVID-19 projections.But health experts caution these predictions are always changing with new information, and slight differences in people’s behavior can alter the course of the pandemic. If Virginians wear masks, keep a distance of at least six feet from other people who aren’t part of their household and wash hands, it could stem transmission.Though Northam has not put travel restrictions on Virginians to curb rising cases, he emphasized Thursday that all options are on the table. at 25 people, down from 250, among other mandates that included earlier restaurant closures.“We think of Thanksgiving as a time of family and of love, and maybe some football,” he said. “But this year staying home is an act of love, too.”State officials asked the RAND Corporation, a research nonprofit and policy think tank, to estimate the risk of at least one person showing up to Thanksgiving infected with COVID-19, based on the number of attendees.One in 10 gatherings of 10 people in the state would include at least one person with the disease, . That doubles to two in 10 for gatherings upward of 20.AdvertisementThe risk is higher in Southwest Virginia. There one in three gatherings with 20 people would be expected to have at least one infected attendee.The statewide weekly incidence of the virus rose to nearly 19 out of 100,000 people, Virginia public health officials said. But it continues to be much lower than the national incidence of 60, a rate that has nearly doubled over the past two weeks.The incidence rate is the frequency that a new illness occurs in a community over a period of time. That’s not to be confused with a measure of prevalence, the proportion of people who have an illness in a set timeframe, regardless of when they first developed the infection.About 7% of standard nasal swab tests for the coronavirus came back positive In Virginia over the past week, up from 6.5%.As of Friday, there had been a total of 191,971 confirmed cases statewide and 3,912 deaths. Over 3 million tests have been given statewide.The United States’ case tally rose to 11.7 million last week with about 253,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There have been 57.1 million cases worldwide, and 1.4 million have died.AdvertisementIn Hampton Roads, seven people died last week, down from 10 reported the previous week. Of those fatalities, two were in Norfolk. Franklin, Mathews County, Newport News, Suffolk and Virginia Beach each had one.While the Eastern region isn’t getting slammed like other parts of the state, trends in general are worsening. As of Friday, emergency room visits for coronavirus-like symptoms had been growing for 16 days, according to health department data.During the past week, Virginia Beach’s case counts soared, with another 714 confirmed positive. The tally jumped more than 50% from the prior week’s 462, according to the state health department. The next highest totals were found in Chesapeake, with 346, and Norfolk, with 315.Case counts are expected to be higher in bigger cities, but for the third consecutive week, Virginia Beach had one of the top rates of new cases in Hampton Roads proportionate to its population size. The city had about 22.7 per 100,000 people.Williamsburg, with much fewer residents, was the only locality in the region to surpass that rate, with 28.8 out of 100,000. With the exception of Chesapeake, which had 20.4, all other Hampton Roads localities were below 19.In other parts of the region:AdvertisementChesapeake’s seven-day daily case average was 49 on Friday, up from 41 a week ago.Norfolk’s daily case average was 45, a 73% increase from 26 a week ago.Virginia Beach’s daily case average was 102, a 55% increase from 66 a week ago.Newport News reported 214 new cases for the week, with a daily case average of 31, an 82% increase from 17 the previous week.Portsmouth reported 86 new cases for the week, with a daily case average of 12, up from nine a week ago.DailyStart your morning in-the-know with the day's top stories. &gt; Hampton reported 162 new cases for the week, with a daily case average of 23, up from 16 a week ago.AdvertisementJames City County reported 58 new cases for the week, with a daily case average of eight, up from six a week ago.York County reported 82 new cases for the week, with a daily case average of 12, up from five a week ago.Suffolk reported 102 new cases for the week, with a daily case average of 15, up from 12 a week ago.Chesapeake, Hampton, James City, Portsmouth, Williamsburg and the counties of Accomack, Gloucester, Isle of Wight, Middlesex, Poquoson and York reported no deaths.For other pandemic data, go to .Elisha Sauers, , 757-222-3864 Advertisement

AdvertisementBy The Virginian-PilotNov 22, 2020 at 9:00 amCoronavirus cases are swiftly rising throughout the nation, with Virginia leaders preemptively asking residents to do their part to slow the spread during Thanksgiving.Stay home for the holiday, hold your celebration outdoors or get together with friends and family online.AdvertisementWhile the pandemic has not reached the level it has in other parts of the country, more people are getting sick in Virginia every day. The sharp increase seen in the southwestern corner of the state a few weeks ago is steadily moving east. Now the...

As coronavirus cases surge, Virginia leaders urge caution around the holiday

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