Virginia Department of Health will now post “probable” COVID-19 positives

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Health is now reporting “probable” as well as laboratory-confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 illness. As of Monday, the 8,990 cases include patients with a positive test and those who are symptomatic with a known exposure to COVID-19.

The cases represent an increase of 453 since Sunday. The number of deaths rose by 23 to a total of 300 statewide.

Henrico County continues to lead the state with 72 deaths. The county is home to the hard-hit Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center. The facility reported at least 49 deaths and over 100 people who tested positive for COVID-19, according to WRIC. The medical director in charge told the television station that the end of the crisis is approaching as new cases have gone down.

Among the state’s 139 outbreaks, 77 are in long-term care facilities. These outbreaks, defined as two or more confirmed cases, are associated with 915 cases and 77 deaths at long-term care facilities.

As of Monday, the Virginia Department of Health reported 1,500 hospitalizations, reflecting the case status when the state health department began investigating a case. The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, which provides more detailed data on hospitalized patients, says 1,296 hospitalized people tested positive or are awaiting test results. That’s down from 1,319 hospitalized people reported Sunday. The association says 1,324 people who tested positive have been discharged from hospitals.

Of the hospitalized people with confirmed or pending test results, 396 are in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 327 are on ventilators. There are 626 ventilators in use at hospitals among the 2,908 available across Virginia. That represents a 22 percent ventilator use in Virginia hospitals. The association reported six hospitals that will have difficulty obtaining or replenishing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the next 72 hours.

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