Health & Fitness

VA Coronavirus: Deaths Top 500, Outbreak Grows At Poultry Plants

The Virginia Department of Health reported 30 more deaths Wednesday from the new coronavirus, raising the total number to 522.

Virginia's cases of the new coronavirus increased by 622 from Tuesday to Wednesday and 30 more deaths were reported, according to state health data.
Virginia's cases of the new coronavirus increased by 622 from Tuesday to Wednesday and 30 more deaths were reported, according to state health data. (Shutterstock)

VIRGINIA — Virginia's cases of the new coronavirus increased by 622 from Tuesday to Wednesday and 30 more deaths were reported, according to the latest data from the Virginia Department of Health. The latest totals are 14,961 cases, 522 deaths and 2,259 hospitalizations.

Wednesday's total includes 14,328 laboratory-confirmed cases and 633 probable cases among patients with symptoms and a known exposure to COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of the total deaths, 513 were confirmed positive cases.

As of Wednesday, the state has reported 206 outbreaks, 116 of which are in long-term care facilities. Outbreaks, defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed cases, at long-term care facilities account for 1,407 cases and 111 deaths.

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Virginia's other outbreaks include 45 in congregate settings, 18 in health care settings, 17 in correctional facilities, seven in educational settings and three designated as "other." The Fairfax Health District has 35 total outbreaks, the most among localities.

On Virginia's Eastern Shore, an outbreak of the coronavirus is occurring in Accomack County, home to two major poultry processing facilities. The county, with a population of about 32,000, has reported 229 positive cases of the coronavirus and four deaths. Accomack has 707 cases per 100,000 population, second only to Richmond County in Virginia's Northern Neck, which is reporting 1,582 cases per 100,000 population.

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Health officials on the Eastern Shore are worried that the number of coronavirus cases may overwhelm the one local hospital. The poultry processing plants, one operated by Perdue Farms and the other by Tyson Foods, have continued operating as the number of cases linked to them climbed in the past week.


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On Tuesday, nearly 100 cases of Tyson employees or people who came in contact with them contracted the coronavirus, while the Perdue plant has about 80 positive cases, the Washington Post reported.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday mandating that meat production plants, including the two plants on Virginia's Eastern where many workers are getting sick, remain open.

At his news conference Monday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he and the governors of Maryland and Delaware wrote a joint letter to the White House with their concerns about poultry workers on the Delmarva Peninsula. In response, the governor said the Centers for Disease Control is deploying teams to each state to work with local health departments to assess the overall situation at poultry and other meat processing facilities.

On Wednesday, the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association reported 1,566 people with confirmed or pending test results currently hospitalized, compared to 1,508 patients reported on Tuesday. However, 2,042 COVID-19 patients have been discharged, up from 1,914 on Tuesday.

Among Virginia patients with confirmed or pending test results, 387 are in the intensive care unit compared to 376 Tuesday. On Wednesday, 222 COVID-19 patients were using ventilators, up from 217 on Tuesday. Overall, 589 of available 2,997 ventilators are in use at hospitals, representing 20 percent use of ventilators in Virginia. That 20 percent use is the same as Tuesday.

One hospital reports having difficulty obtaining or replenishing personal protective equipment in the next 72 hours, and no hospitals report difficulty obtaining medical supplies in the same timeframe.

At Monday's news conference, Gov. Northam expressed confidence about lifting the ban on elective surgeries starting Friday, May 1. The decision had intended to allow medical facilities to focus resources on coronavirus patients and others with urgent needs. The ban on elective surgeries does not apply to those in which a delay would harm a patient, as well as outpatient visits in hospital-based clinics, family planning services, or emergency needs. Hospitals continue to treat emergencies and perform essential surgeries.

Last week, Northam outlined a blueprint of the first phase for reopening Virginia. His criteria calls for a 14-day downward trend of the percentage of positive tests and hospitalizations, increased testing and contact tracing, sufficient hospital beds and intensive care capacity and sustained supply of personal protective equipment.

A business task force made up of more than two dozen business leaders is advising Northam on how to ease coronavirus-related restrictions on individuals and businesses. The task force will help the Northam administration determine which businesses can reopen first and whether the reopening of businesses can be done regionally rather than on a statewide basis. Guidance for all businesses and public-facing businesses like restaurants and non-essential retail is expected in early May.

Virginia's first confirmed coronavirus case on March 7 at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County was followed by the closure of certain non-essential businesses and ban on gatherings of more than 10 people on March 24. This order was extended until May 8. A separate stay-at-home order was issued on March 30 and is effective through June 10.

Northam's goal for a safe reopening calls for testing 10,000 people per day in Virginia. As of Wednesday, 85,307 people in Virginia have been tested for the virus, an increase of 2,554 from Tuesday. The Virginia Department of Health cautions that negative test results may be underrepresented due to a large number of reports from new labs testing for the virus.

Fairfax County, the state's most populous locality, continues to report the highest number of cases and deaths.

Here are the latest updates for localities in our Northern Virginia coverage area, as of Wednesday.

  • Alexandria: 700 cases, 92 hospitalizations, 21 deaths
  • Arlington County: 912 cases, 163 hospitalizations, 32 deaths
  • Fairfax County: 3,448 cases, 585 hospitalizations, 124 deaths
  • Fairfax City: 27 cases, four hospitalizations, two deaths
  • Falls Church: 26 cases, three hospitalizations, two deaths
  • Loudoun County: 727 cases, 87 hospitalizations, 14 deaths
  • Manassas: 196 cases, 28 hospitalizations, three deaths
  • Manassas Park: 60 cases, eight hospitalizations, one death
  • Prince William County: 1,527 cases, 159 hospitalizations, 22 deaths
  • Fredericksburg: 28 cases, seven hospitalizations, no deaths
  • Spotsylvania County: 131 cases, 23 hospitalizations, three deaths
  • Stafford County: 225 cases, 44 hospitalizations, two deaths

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