RICHMOND, Va. – Six localities are reporting their first cases of COVID-19, according to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) data released Friday.
Cases were reported for the first time in Buena Vista City, Caroline, Lexington, Pulaski, Westmoreland and Wise. (Officials said a case for Richmond County was added in error, according to Richmond County's Department of Emergency Services, so we have removed it from the list.)
Officials said 306 more people tested positive for COVID-19 out of the 1,426 people tested since Thursday's update. That brings Virginia's total number of cases to 2,012.
Officials said 312 people remain hospitalized and 46 people have died as a result of COVID-19-related illnesses.
Officials are investigating several "distinct clusters" where there is "local transmission" of the virus in Virginia.
Those clusters include 372 cases in Fairfax County, 135 in Arlington County, 130 in Loudon County, 131 in Prince William County, 128 in Virginia Beach, 112 in Henrico County, 104 in James City County and 89 in Chesterfield County.
VDH data showed the coronavirus has most impacted people aged 50 to 69 since that group accounts for nearly 37 percent of cases.
"But we're also seeing cases in people in their 20s," Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam previoulsy said. "Ninety-three of the 604 cases are in the age range of 20 to 29 years."
In fact, Northam said that group accounts for nearly 14 percent of cases in the state.
"There has been some talk, and I have seen activity around Virginia, that this only affects the elderly. Well, it doesn't. It affects all of us, "Northam said. "So take this seriously and please stay home."
Slightly more men have been infected by the virus at 991 cases versus the 988 cases reported in women. No gender was reported for 33 cases in the Commonwealth.
City/County-by-County Breakdown of Cases
Accomack: 8 (-2)
Albemarle: 26 (+3)
Alleghany: 2
Alexandria: 56 (+23)
Arlington: 135 (+7)
Amelia: 5 (+1)
Amherst: 6
Augusta: 4 (+2)
Bedford: 3
Bristol: 1
Botetourt: 8
Brunswick: 1
Buckingham: 3 (+1)
Buena Vista City: 1 (new)
Campbell: 2
Caroline: 1 (new)
Carroll: 1
Charles City: 4
Charlottesville: 17
Chesapeake: 50 (+11)
Chesterfield: 89 (+16)
Clarke: 2 (+1)
Covington: 1
Culpeper: 7 (+1)
Cumberland: 1
Danville: 9 (+2)
Emporia: 1
Fairfax: 372 (+44)
Fauquier: 9 (+1)
Fluvanna: 5 (+1)
Franklin City: 3 (+2)
Franklin County: 9 (+3)
Frederick: 20 (+4)
Fredericksburg: 4 (+2)
Galax: 1
Gloucester: 8
Goochland: 8 (-1)
Greene: 1
Greenesville: 4
Halifax: 1
Hanover: 12 (+4)
Hampton: 29 (+13)
Harrisonburg: 22 (+7)
Henrico: 112 (+25)
Henry: 3 (+1)
Hopewell: 7 (+2)
Isle of Wight: 11 (+3)
James City: 104 (+7)
King George: 6 (+2)
King and Queen: 1
King William: 1
Lancaster: 1
Lexington: 2 (new)
Lee: 2
Louisa: 12
Loudoun: 130 (+ 9)
Lynchburg: 9
Madison: 2 (-1)
Manassas City: 13 (+1)
Manassas Park: 2 (+1)
Mathews: 2
Mecklenburg: 7 (+2)
Montgomery: 1
Nelson: 2
New Kent: 6 (+3)
Newport News: 37 (+4)
Norfolk: 43 (+6)
Northampton: 2 (-1)
Northumberland: 3
Nottoway: 1
Orange: 4
Page: 2
Petersburg: 8 (+4)
Pittsylvania: 1
Poquoson: 3
Portsmouth: 17 (+1)
Powhatan: 4 (+1)
Prince Edward: 2
Prince George: 10 (+2)
Prince William: 131 (+14)
Pulaski: 1 (new)
Radford: 1
Richmond City: 76 (+24)
Roanoke City: 9
Roanoke County: 4
Rockbridge: 2
Rockingham: 11
Salem: 1
Shenandoah: 10 (+1)
Smyth: 2
Spotsylvania: 11 (+2)
Southampton: 4 (+2)
Stafford: 29 (+2)
Suffolk: 10 (+4)
Surry: 3 (+2)
Sussex: 2 (+1)
Tazewell: 2
Virginia Beach: 128 (+17)
Warren: 4 (+1)
Washington: 3 (+1)
Waynesboro: 3 (+1)
Westmoreland: 1 (new)
Winchester: 9 (+4)
Wise: 1 (new)
Williamsburg: 9
Wythe: 2
York: 17
*NOTE: This data is provided from the Virginia Department of Health daily at 9 a.m. Officials said their cutoff for data is 5 p.m. the previous day. So your local health department may have issued an alert about a case before it is added to the statewide tally released the following day.
COVID-19 Precautions
Most patients with COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms. However, in a small proportion of patients, COVID-19 can lead to more severe illness, including death, particularly among those who are older or those who have chronic medical conditions.
COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Symptoms appear within 14 days of being exposed to an infectious person.
Virginia health officials urged the following precautions:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer only if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Avoid contact with sick people.
- Avoid non-essential travel.