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 (5/23), in Virginia we’re at 35,749 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), 4,181 hospitalizations and 1,159 deaths from COVID-19. The number of reported cases went up 799 (+2.3%) in the latest statistics, which is a slower rate of increase than the day before, when reported cases were up 813 (+2.4%), and also the slowest day-to-day growth rate since the pandemic began. The number of TOTAL test results was 258,163 (up 8,223 from 249,940 yesterday), while the number of “PCR Only” tests was 230,683 (up 7,250 from 223,433 yesterday)…VDH now breaking this out, following The Atlantic article on Virginia’s statistics for testing. These testing numbers are well below 10,000 per day (a number Gov. Northam has repeatedly stated as an important goal), and also 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 36 (+0.9%), from 4,145 to 4,181, which is a slower rate of increase than the day before, when hospitalizations were up 52 (+1.3%), and the slowest growth rate since the pandemic began. Deaths are reported up 23 (from 1,136 to 1,159), compared to an increase of 37 (from 1,099 to 1,136) the previous day. So…mostly better stats than yesterday, but still the numbers are going up.
