See below for graphics of the newly posted COVID-19 numbers by the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. So, at this point (5/18), in Virginia we’re at 31,140 total reported – confirmed plus probable – cases (note that actual cases, as well as deaths, could be higher, maybe even a LOT higher, based on stories like this one in the NY Times), 3,822 hospitalizations and 1,014 deaths from COVID-19. The number of reported cases went up 752 (+2.5%) in the latest statistics, which is a slightly faster rate of increase than the day before, when reported cases were up 705 (+2.4%), which was the slowest rate of increase since the pandemic began. The number of TOTAL test results was 218,393 (up 7,568 from 210,825 yesterday), while the number of “PCR Only” tests was 194,677 (up 7,568 from 188,874 yesterday)…VDH now breaking this out, following The Atlantic article on Virginia’s statistics for testing. These testing number remain significantly lower than 10,000 per day (a number Gov. Northam has repeatedly stated as an important goal), and still much lower than the 16,664 per day that Harvard’s Global Health Institute estimates we need to reopen safely and contain the virus. As for hospitalizations, they went up 47 (+1.2%), from 3,775 to 3,822, which is a lower rate of increase than the day before, when hospitalizations were up 51 (+1.4%), and the slowest rate of increase since the pandemic began. Deaths are reported up 5 (from 1,009 to 1,014), compared to an increase of 7 (from 1,002 to 1,009) the previous day; also, the slowest growth rate in over a month. So…good stats today, generally slow growth although still going up.
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