Mitigation Measures Urged Amid Coronavirus Variants In Virginia

VIRGINIA — State officials are urging residents to continue mitigation measures and celebrate the Super Bowl with their own households as new COVID-19 variants are present in the state.

The guidance is the same officials emphasized for the Thanksgiving and winter holidays. Virginia started to see cases and hospitalizations rise in mid-November, reaching new highs in January. The case and hospitalization metrics recently took a downturn, and the average of positive tests has been declining since early January, according to Virginia Department of Health data.

However, new variants of the virus are now in play. On Friday, the VDH confirmed the first case of the B.1.351 variant, first identified in late 2020 in South Africa, in eastern Virginia. There are at least four cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom in late 2020. Three of these cases are in Northern Virginia. Health experts believe the two variants are associated with increased transmission. Evidence indicates the B.1.351 variant does not cause more severe illness. A preliminary report on the B.1.1.7 variant from UK indicates the variant could cause more severe illness than other variants, but more study is needed.

On Sunday, Gov. Ralph Northam noted the downward trend of Virginia's health metrics but says residents need to continue following health and safety protocols.

"And with the B.1.351 variant that was first detected in South Africa identified in Virginia this week, we have an even greater responsibility to wear masks, wash our hands, practice social distancing, and avoid gatherings," the governor tweeted.

The VDH noted the importance of mitigation measures in a statement about the B.1.351 variant.

"The more people that become infected, the greater that chance the virus will mutate and a variant will arise that could undermine the current vaccination efforts," VDH stated.

Health officials say the public health recommendations will work for all variants, including wearing masks correctly, staying at least six feet from others, avoiding crowds, washing hands often, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 when available, and staying home when infected or after close contact with someone who has COVID-19.

Officials are also investigating the death of a Gloucester County, Virginia woman hours after she received the COVID-19 vaccine. According to WAVY.com, a medical examiner is looking into the cause of death, but State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver said the death is not confirmed to be related to the vaccine. Preliminary investigation found the death does not appear to be related to anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction.

COVID-19 data

As of Sunday, 1,072,748 vaccine doses have been administered of the 1,524,950 doses distributed, or about 70 percent. There are 876,778 people with at least one dose, or an estimated 10.3 percent of the population. A total of 195,970 are fully vaccinated.

There were 2,949 new coronavirus cases reported on Sunday, including 582 in Northern Virginia. A cumulative total of 529,125 cases have been reported to date.

Current COVID-19 hospitalizations stand at 2,297, including 456 in the intensive care units and 301 on ventilators. Northern Virginia has 399 current patients. COVID-19 patients represent approximately 17 percent of the 13,152 occupied hospital beds statewide and 14 percent of the 2,687 occupied beds in Northern Virginia.

According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, ICU occupancy among all hospital patients is at 80 percent, and ventilator use is at 35 percent.

There were five new COVID-19 deaths reported statewide on Saturday. Since the start of the pandemic, 6,778 deaths in Virginia have been attributed to COVID-19.

The positive average of PCR tests stands at 10.2 percent statewide and 9 percent in Northern Virginia as of Feb. 4. The state is averaging 26,047 PCR testing encounters per day, while Northern Virginia averages 6,432.

Here are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Saturday to Sunday:

• Alexandria: 9,732 cases, 494 hospitalizations, 105 deaths; increase of 30 cases and one hospitalization
• Arlington County: 12,221 cases, 740 hospitalizations, 206 deaths; increase of 71 cases and one death
• Fairfax County: 61,654 cases, 3,337 hospitalizations, 807 deaths; increase of 229 cases and seven hospitalizations
• Fairfax City: 443 cases, 32 hospitalizations and 12 deaths; no changes
• Falls Church: 315 cases, 20 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of four cases
• Loudoun County: 21,552 cases, 789 hospitalizations, 188 deaths; increase of 60 cases
• Manassas: 3,825 cases, 156 hospitalizations, 33 deaths; increase of 19 cases
• Manassas Park: 1,088 cases, 66 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of one case
• Prince William County: 36,581 cases, 1,339 hospitalizations, 324 deaths; increase of 168 cases, one death removed
• Fredericksburg: 1,631 cases, 77 hospitalizations, 14 deaths; increase of seven cases
• Spotsylvania County: 7,611 cases, 245 hospitalizations, 87 deaths; increase of 25 cases
• Stafford County: 8,525 cases, 281 hospitalizations, 52 deaths; increase of 35 cases and two hospitalizations