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

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

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).


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.

Key local metrics

Test positivity

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