Fairfax tops 20,000 COVID-19 cases; Virginia has second worst week of reported deaths

As worldwide cases of the coronavirus topped 30 million on Friday, Virginia wrapped up its second worst week in terms of reported deaths related to the virus, and Fairfax County topped 20,000 total positive cases. 

One piece of good news, however, was hospitalizations, which fell statewide to their lowest level in more than two months. 

On Friday morning, the Johns Hopkins University tracker of cases worldwide stood at 30.2 million, with 6.68 million of those cases in the United States, more than any other country. 

Closer to home, Virginia reported 29 new deaths caused by COVID-19 on Friday. The Department of Health said earlier in the week it was clearing a backlog of death certificates filed over the past few weeks, but it was not clear Friday whether that backlog continues.  A total of 238 deaths have now been reported statewide in the past seven days, the second most since the pandemic began.  It trails only the week that ended May 8, when 260 deaths were reported. 

The state has now reported a total of 2,949 deaths since the pandemic began.  In Northern Virginia, that total stands at 1,150 after four new deaths were reported Friday -- two in Loudoun County and one apiece in Fairfax County and Alexandria. 

Fairfax, the state's largest locality, has now reported a total of 574 deaths and 20,041 cases - both the highest numbers in the state.  No other locality has reported more than 10,000 cases except for Prince William County, which has had 11,966.

Fairfax reported 120 new cases on Friday, and Northern Virginia as a whole added 309.  The region's seven-day average of new cases increased to 231.

Statewide, 1,242 new cases were reported, bringing the seven-day average to 1,009.  For the second consecutive day, the health department reported the results of more than 20,000 diagnostic tests, the first time that has happened.

Average test positivity rates were not available Friday morning.  

Statewide hospitalizations for the virus fell to 945 on Friday, the lowest since July 7. In Northern Virginia, hospitalizations fell to 217, which tied with last Saturday as the lowest level since July 28.  

LATEST COVID-19 DATA

New Cases/Deaths

• Northern Virginia: 309 new cases, 4 new deaths

• Statewide: 1,242 new cases, 29 new deaths

• Statewide Testing: 20,889 diagnostic test results reported

Overall Total

• Northern Virginia: 48,793 cases, 1,150 deaths

• Statewide: 138,702 cases, 2,949 deaths

• Statewide Testing: 1.84 million diagnostic tests (1.98 million when including antibody tests)

• Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) cases: 8 

*Provided by Virginia Department of Health. The health department's COVID-19 data is updated each morning by 10 a.m. and includes reports by local health agencies before 5 p.m. the previous day.

Statewide Hospital and Nursing Home Data

• Hospitalizations: 945 (down from 995 the previous day and lowest since July 7)

• Peak Hospitalizations: 1,625 reached May 8

• Patients in ICU: 212 (down from 225 the previous day and lowest since July 6)

• Patients Discharged: 16,762 total

• Nursing Home Patients: 568 confirmed positive cases (down from 580 the previous day)

*Provided by Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association

For updated national and international COVID-19 data, visit the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus dashboard. 

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