Virginia Dec. 29 COVID-19 update: Hospitalization levels jump again by 135 patients to new record, 59 new deaths reported

Posted: Dec 29, 2020 / 11:28 AM EST

Updated: Dec 29, 2020 / 12:34 PM EST

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia reported 4,122 new coronavirus cases, 59 new COVID-19 deaths and 135 new current COVID-19 hospitalizations just days after Christmas.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are at an all-time high of 2,698 patients, with 539 in the ICU and 326 on ventilators. ICU occupancy is at 81% (last year’s average was 67%).

Hospitalizations give us the most immediate sign of how things are trending in the pandemic, as case numbers for infections contracted around Christmas can take up to two weeks to show up in reporting. It can take several days for someone to show symptoms of COVID-19 and several more for them to test positive for the virus.

Reported cases have held around 4,000 mark recently but are expected to keep rising.

Statewide numbers

New cases: (+4,122, 340,297 total), trending up
Case incidence rate: 43.3 per 100K, trending up
New deaths (+59, 4,920 total), trending up
Current hospitalizations (+135 patients, 2,698 total), trending up overall, at record levels
Testing (12.2% 7-day average of positive tests), trending up overall
Vaccines: 41,709 doses administered

Vaccines are still in the process of being administered to the first groups of priority recipients (health care workers, EMS and nursing home patients/staff), with nursing homes receiving their doses this week.

Deaths are trending up overall (recent drop in average due in part to lower holiday reporting) with roughly 31 reported per day on average.

COVID-19 hospitalizations nationwide are at a record average of nearly 120,000 current patients (deaths and cases reporting again lower due to holiday).

Our daily update is published. States reported 1.5 million tests, 162k cases, 121,235 hospitalizations, and 1,491 deaths. Tests, cases, and deaths remain heavily affected by holiday reporting slowdowns. pic.twitter.com/T3TbFcClDq
— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) December 29, 2020

Local cases

Hampton Roads is doing relatively worse than the state as a whole. The region’s test positivity rate (14.5%) is higher than the state average, and even higher on the Southside, where about 1 in 5 people tested are positive for the coronavirus.

Accomack: 1,672 cases, 122 hospitalized, 25 deaths (+7 cases)
Chesapeake: 9,151 cases, 610 hospitalized, 99 deaths (+108 cases, +8 hospitalized, +2 deaths)
Franklin: 666 cases, 35 hospitalized, 17 deaths (+1 cases)
Gloucester: 832 cases, 29 hospitalized, 7 deaths (+26 cases, +1 hospitalized)
Hampton: 4,199 cases, 195 hospitalized, 48 deaths (+43 cases, +1 hospitalized, +5 deaths)
Isle of Wight: 1,485 cases, 77 hospitalized, 29 deaths ( +14 cases)
James City County: 1,825 cases, 98 hospitalized, 28 deaths (+83 cases, +3 hospitalized, +1 deaths)
Mathews: 304 cases, 15 hospitalized, 3 death (+6 cases, +1 hospitalized)
Newport News: 5,837 cases, 204 hospitalized, 68 deaths (+164 cases, + 4 hospitalized, +2 deaths)
Norfolk: 8,609 cases, 552 hospitalized, 105 deaths (+161 cases, +2 hospitalized)
Northampton: 437 cases, 54 hospitalized, 31 deaths (no change)
Poquoson: 324 cases, 15 hospitalized, 3 deaths (+20 cases)
Portsmouth: 4,390 cases, 428 hospitalized, 78 deaths (+53 cases, +6 hospitalized, +1 death)
Southampton: 1,131 cases, 35 hospitalized, 42 deaths (+1 cases)
Suffolk: 3,890 cases, 229 hospitalized, 89 deaths (+21 cases)
Virginia Beach: 16,072 cases, 734 hospitalized, 146 deaths (+208 cases, +34 hospitalized, +5 deaths)
Williamsburg: 352 cases, 22 hospitalized, 8 deaths (no change)
York: 1,397 cases, 36 hospitalized, 11 deaths (+44 cases)

Key local metrics

960 new cases, at record levels and trending up
16 new deaths, trending up
+17 new current hospitalizations (+584 total), at record levels and trending up
Test positivity: 14.55%, trending up overall

Test positivity