PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Department of Health once again reported a new record high with 3,880 additional cases of COVID-19 for Sunday along with 3 new deaths related to the virus.

As of Sunday morning, December 6, Virginia has an overall number of 255,053 coronavirus cases since the start of the outbreak. Of the overall cases reported, 223,379 have been confirmed by testing. 31,674 were probable cases, in which a patient who shows symptoms is diagnosed without testing.

Just a day before, VDH officials say a backlog resulted in the previous daily increase record of COVID-19 cases.

Hospitalizations have held around the same mark the last few days, but are still around record levels and trending up. One model projects some Virginia regions could run out of bed space by January, particularly Southwest. 25,235 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from Virginia hospitals so far, per the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

The state’s positivity rate also increased up to 10.6 percent. We can expect this trend to keep rising because of people getting tested before and after the holidays this month.

Hospitalizations have held around the same mark the last few days, but are still around record levels and trending up. One model projects some Virginia regions could run out of bed space by January, particularly Southwest. 24,998 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from Virginia hospitals so far, per the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

Local cases

  • Accomack: 1,390 cases, 109 hospitalized, 21 deaths (+16 cases)
  • Chesapeake: 6,964 cases, 550 hospitalized, 81 deaths (+76 cases, +2 hospitalized)
  • Franklin: 563 cases, 28 hospitalized, 17 deaths (+6 cases)
  • Gloucester: 555 cases, 22 hospitalized, 5 deaths (+12 cases)
  • Hampton: 2,937 cases, 142 hospitalized, 35 deaths (+34 cases)
  • Isle of Wight: 1,092 cases, 56 hospitalized, 27 deaths (+18 cases)
  • James City County: 1,264 cases, 78 hospitalized, 22 deaths (+23 case, +1 hospitalized)
  • Mathews: 172 cases, 13 hospitalized, 1 death (+2 cases)
  • Newport News: 4,255 cases, 169 hospitalized, 56 deaths (+57 cases)
  • Norfolk: 6,786 cases, 476 hospitalized, 93 deaths (-3 cases, +5 hospitalized, +1 death)
  • Northampton: 357 cases, 50 hospitalized, 31 deaths (+1 cases)
  • Poquoson: 198 cases, 4 hospitalized, 2 deaths (+39)
  • Portsmouth: 3,339 cases, 360 hospitalized, 71 deaths (+41 cases)
  • Southampton: 1018 cases, 33 hospitalized, 40 deaths (+14 case)
  • Suffolk: 2,916 cases, 173 hospitalized, 80 deaths (+49 cases)
  • Virginia Beach: 11,778 cases, 565 hospitalized, 119 deaths (+226 cases)
  • Williamsburg: 308 cases, 22 hospitalized, 8 deaths (+8 cases)
  • York: 992 cases, 31 hospitalized, 9 deaths (+17 cases)

Overall, Hampton Roads and the Tidewater region reported a total of 636 cases Saturday, which is 16% of the daily increase statewide.

Key local metrics

  • 508 new cases, trending up
  • 2 new deaths in Hampton Roads, steady overall
  • +42 currently hospitalized (293 total), trending up
  • Percent of positive tests: 7.65%, trending up
  • Virginia Beach alone makes up more than half of overall new cases in Hampton Roads

According to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, 1,969 residents in Virginia are currently hospitalized due to the virus. That number is a combination of confirmed positive COVID-19 patients and hospitalized patients whose COVID-19 test results are still pending.

There have been a total of 1,605 COVID-19 outbreaks since the pandemic started leading to 35,436 associated cases.