PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia reported nearly 6,000 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, just days ahead of Christmas, as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads.
The one-day increase of 5,972 cases is one of the highest one-day increases of the pandemic, and higher than any day in 2020. There were a couple of days in early January 2021 with higher numbers (one day totals can be unreliable due to reporting delays and other factors).
With cases, the key thing to watch is the average of new cases, the yellow line on the Virginia Department of Health’s map under the locality tab. Virginia’s average of new cases is now 3,980 per day, higher than the previous delta wave over the summer and appears primed to surpass the winter 2020-21 peak. The omicron variant is at least twice contagious as earlier variants, scientists believe, and it already accounts for about 3/4 of new cases.
The good news is at the moment, due to some combination of vaccination protection/high population immunity and the inherent nature of the variant, omicron appears to bring less severe infections compared to delta (which is also still circulating). About 7-8% more of the overall population in Virginia is now considered fully vaccinated compared to mid September.
Back in the summer when the initial delta wave hit, Virginia was averaging about 700 more patients in hospitals with case numbers at similar levels to today. Virginia’s metrics are similar overall to the numbers nationwide, per the New York Times coronavirus tracker.
More people may also be voluntarily testing themselves ahead of the holidays, but the Virginia Department of Health is reporting about the same level of overall testing compared to mid-September so far.
There has also been an increase in new deaths, but levels are still just over half of those from the summer delta wave. 50 new deaths were reported Wednesday.
State metrics
- New cases (+5,972, 1,034,107 total), 3,980, rising and high than summer delta wave
- Deaths (+50, 15,224 total), rising again (28 per day) after falling to 12 per day
- Current hospitalizations (+32, 1,550 total currently), rising again, still less than half of winter surge last year, 379 in ICU and 2,608 total beds left statewide, 417 for ICU
- Test positivity: 10%, rising overall, up from 5-6% last month
- Vaccine doses administered: 13,715,418
- Percent of population with at least one dose: 76.5% (6,527,571)
- Percent of adults (18+) with at least one dose: 87.9%
- Percent of population fully vaccinated: 67.1% (5,724,344)
- Percent of adults fully vaccinated: 77.7%
- People vaccinated with booster/third dose: 1,849,909
Vaccines and protection against omicron
While people who are considered “fully vaccinated” with two doses of mRNA vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna still have strong protection against severe symptoms, they are more likely to be infected than those without boosters, health experts say. Booster shots of Pfizer and Moderna help increase protection against infection with a significant increase in antibody levels, data has shown.
Preliminary data also shows Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine still prevents severe illness, but doesn’t offer much protection against getting infected. Health officials are recommending those people get a Moderna or Pfizer booster shot.
For more vaccine data, click here.
Local cases
- Accomack: 4,372 cases, 333 hospitalized, 83 deaths
- Chesapeake: 31,214 cases, 1258 hospitalized, 375 deaths
- Franklin: 1,726 cases, 73 hospitalized, 44 deaths
- Gloucester: 4,237 cases, 86 hospitalized, 83 deaths
- Hampton: 16,192 cases, 599 hospitalized, 252 deaths
- Isle of Wight: 4,836 cases, 222 hospitalized, 93 deaths
- James City County: 7,847 cases, 237 hospitalized, 100 deaths
- Mathews: 965 cases, 27 hospitalized, 24 deaths
- Newport News: 21,974 cases, 661 hospitalized, 312 deaths
- Norfolk: 26,146 cases, 1,309 hospitalized, 365 deaths
- Northampton: 1,218 cases, 107 hospitalized, 48 deaths
- Poquoson: 1,442 cases, 37 hospitalized, 23 deaths
- Portsmouth: 13,483 cases, 890 hospitalized, 254 deaths
- Southampton: 2,505 cases, 89 hospitalized, 72 deaths
- Suffolk: 11,763 cases, 707 hospitalized, 254 deaths
- Virginia Beach: 54,123 cases, 2,322 hospitalized, 590 deaths
- Williamsburg: 1,285 cases, 31 hospitalized, 13 deaths
- York: 6,019 cases, 127 hospitalized, 84 deaths