By Randy Arrington
LURAY, April 9 — As of Wednesday, there are now five reported cases of COVID-19 in Page County, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The VDH updates its COVID-19 statistics each morning by 10 a.m. Those figures reflect data provided by hospitals, healthcare facilities and independent laboratories as of 5 p.m. the previous day.
On Tuesday, the VDH was reporting only three cases in Page County. The first case in the county was reported March 31.
Over the last two days, the Lord Fairfax Health District has seen a nearly 16-percent increase in COVID-19 cases. The local health district has now surpassed 100 cases — rising from a total of 88 cases as of Monday, to 102 by Wednesday.
As of April 8, COVID-19 cases reported within the health district are as follows (increase since Monday):
- 54 — Frederick County (8)
- 16 — City of Winchester (1)
- 15 — Shenandoah County (2)
- 9 — Warren County (1)
- 5 — Page County (2)
- 3 — Clarke County (0)
One of the most alarming figures in Thursday morning’s VDH report was the number of deaths in Virginia, which has now surpassed 100.
The state death toll of 109 represents a 73-percent increase since Monday, when the figure stood at 63. A regional breakdown of those deaths shows:
- 41 — Central
- 34 — Northern
- 22 — Eastern
- 6 — Southwest
- 6 — Northwest
Virginia’s number of reported cases of the coronavirus has risen 21.3 percent since Monday. That figure now stands at 4,042.
Hospitalizations have risen 21.7 percent since the start of the week, with 685 individuals under hospital care. More than 33,000 state residents have been tested — 4,381 in just the last two days.
VDH is not currently reporting the number of recovered patients, but many medical experts are stating that about 80 percent of those who become infected with the coronavirus will not require hospitalization. And among those who do, only a small percentage will require intensive care.
The momentum of new cases in Virginia is starting to rise. Increases in new cases over the past two days in the state’s most densely populated areas is ranging from 10 to 30 percent.
A breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Northern Virginia follows (new cases since Monday):
- 690 — Fairfax County (158)
- 299 — Prince William (43)
- 280 — Arlington (43)
- 258 — Loudoun County (49)
- 149 — Alexandria (23)
Other areas of the Old Dominion now reporting more than 100 cases include (new cases since Monday):
- 319 — Henrico County (82)
- 219 — Virginia Beach (19)
- 158 — Chesterfield (30)
- 126 — City of Richmond (16)
- 123 — James City (4)
- 101 — Chesapeake
The first case of COVID-19 in Virginia was detected on March 7 in Prince William County. One month later, Prince William is reporting 299 cases.
Social distancing in the state began in mid-March. However, a chart on the VDH website shows a bar graph indicating when they believe the reported illnesses actually began. That charts shows the first case taking root in Virginia on Feb. 24.
The data on that chart from April 1 forward is in a shaded box. The shaded area has a notice stating: “Illnesses that began during this time may not yet be reported.” More than 900 cases have been reported statewide since April 1.
The rise in new cases in Northern Virginia is particularly alarming in light of recent projections that Baltimore, Md. and Washington, D.C. may soon be among the new “hot spots” in the nation.
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