RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia now has more than 1,700 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Virginia Health Department reported Thursday morning.

Cases increased by 222 from Wednesday (1,484) to Thursday (1,708), and are expected to continue to rise. Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday that Virginians should expect the peak of cases around late April to late May.

Virginia Beach’s cases have surpassed 100, going from 88 to 111 in a day’s span.

Portsmouth Health Department officials said Thursday a woman in her 60s is the first person in the city to die from the novel coronavirus.

The James City County (97) and Williamsburg (9) area was the original hotspot for cases, but is only reporting 2 new cases compared to Wednesday.

Deaths related to the virus increased by 7 between Wednesday and Thursday to 41 overall.

VDH is reporting 246 hospitalizations, though that number is well below the 305 figure State Health Commissioner Norm Oliver reported Wednesday afternoon.

17,589 people have been tested, so about 10% of those tested had the virus.

Here’s a breakdown of cases in our area:

Chesapeake: 39
Accomack: 10
Northampton: 1
Hampton: 16
James City County: 97
Newport News: 33
Poquoson: 3
Williamsburg: 9
York: 17
Portsmouth: 16
Gloucester: 8
Mathews: 2
Virginia Beach: 111
Norfolk: 37
Franklin: 1
Isle of Wight: 8
Southampton: 2
Suffolk: 6

#AskGovNortham: Northam answering questions via Twitter on Thursday

The governor is using Twitter to answer your questions about COVID-19, with a Q&A at noon Thursday. You can send him a question by using #GovNortham.