COVID-19 in Virginia: LIVE updates for Saturday, September 12

RICHMOND, Va. -- In an effort to provide accurate, easy-to-read information on the on-going COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on our community, WTVR.com will update this post with the day's local coronavirus headlines and statistics.

COVID-19 IN VIRGINIA (Scroll to bottom for U.S. stats)

Positive COVID-19 Cases: 132,940 (+1,300 from Friday)
People Hospitalized: 10,218 (+63 from Friday)
COVID-19-Linked Deaths: 2,722 (+11 from Friday)
Total Tests: 1,879,908 (+16,826 from Friday)
All Health Districts Current 7-Day Positivity Rate Total: 7.8% (Up from 7.6% Friday)

Click here for complete city/county-by-county breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Virginia

NOTE: This data is provided from the Virginia Department of Healthdaily at 10 a.m. Officials said their cutoff for data is 5 p.m. the previous day. So your local health department may have issued an alert about a case before it is added to the statewide tally released the following day. Get the latest charts and updated numbers from VDH here. *Data fromJohns Hopkins University COVID-19 Tracker.

COVID-19 LOCAL HEADLINES

130-plus COVID-19 patients discharged in Virginia; hospitalizations tick down
More than 130 additional COVID-19 patients have been discharged from Virginia hospitals in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Read more.

20 new COVID-19 outbreaks reported in Virginia Saturday
Data show 407 (+6 from yesterday's report) outbreaks at long-term care facilities with a total of 9,877 COVID-19 cases and 1,401 deaths. That is up 77 cases and 4 additional deaths from the previous day's report. Eleven new outbreaks were also reported in congregate settings as well as three new outbreaks in educational settings. Read more.

Hokies season opener against UVA postponed over 'COVID-19 issues'
The Hokies season opener against the Cavaliers has been postponed "stemming from COVID-19 issues at Virginia Tech," officials with the university announced early Saturday morning. Read more.

Fauci warns of a 'difficult' winter of 'hunkering down' amid pandemic
Studies have shown that the coronavirus is more likely to spread between people indoors. With the weather beginning to turn, it's going to be more difficult to dine and congregate outdoors — and with many heading inside, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, warns that Americans need to be more vigilant than ever against the spread COVID-19. Read more.

Northam eases COVID-19 restrictions in Hampton Roads
Governor Ralph Northam announced Thursday that after nearly six weeks, he is easing COVID-19 restrictions in the Hampton Roads. Northam says the easing of restrictions come as the Eastern Region has seen significantly improved health metrics. Read more.

Here's where to get a free COVID-19 test in Richmond, Henrico
Two COVID-19 community testing events have been scheduled for the week of September 14th in the City of Richmond and Henrico County. Read more.

COVID-19 clusters on the rise in Richmond
COVID-19 clusters have been on the rise in Richmond over the past two weeks. Since March, the city has seen 4,000 confirmed cases and 50 deaths from the coronavirus. Read more.

Pamunkey jail outbreak: 70 percent of tested inmates have COVID-19
Officials at Pamunkey Regional Jail announced Wednesday that about 70% of inmates tested for COVID-19 at the facility in Hanover County have tested positive for the virus. Read more.

Sewage suggests wider spread of virus in Virginia county
An analysis of sewage in one Virginia county indicates that it has 10 times as many people walking around with the coronavirus than test results suggest. Read more.

Getting ready for back to school virtually: What you need to know
The 2020-2021 school year kicks off on Tuesday for Richmond, Henrico County and Chesterfield County Schools. School districts have been providing helpful tips and lists leading up to September 8. Read more.

'Be smart' over Labor Day weekend to avoid COVID-19 cases surge, Virginia governor warns
Gov. Ralph Northam urged Virginians to be smart when it comes to preventing the spread of the coronavirus over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Read more.

UK sees biggest jump in COVID-19 cases since May
Britain has recorded its highest daily number of new coronavirus cases since May, with 2,988 new infections announced on Sunday. Read more.

JMU parents react after on-campus students sent home
Carol Duenas moved her daughter, Heather, into a dorm at James Madison University just last week. The Stafford freshman will now return home after JMU administrators announced on Tuesday their intentions to transition primarily to online learning. Students living in dorms will also be asked to return home aftermore than 500 COVID-19 caseswere reported on campus. Read more.

Central Virginians needed for COVID-19 vaccine trial
As clinical trials take place around the world to find a promising treatment for COVID-19, researchers in Richmond are joining in on the effort. Read more.

University of Virginia set to conduct in-person classes
The University of Virginia announced Friday that it is moving ahead with plans to offer in-person instruction for the fall semester. Read more.

Some Virginia college students uneasy on campus: 'In-person classes could have waited'
Colleges and universities all over the commonwealth are seeing students with COVID-19, and James Madison University currently has the highest number with 186 students reporting cases since Aug. 17, but Virginia Commonwealth University isn't far behind. Read more.

VCU preps more isolation beds as COVID cases rise
A little more than a week after students returned to VCU's downtown Richmond campus for the fall semester, the university announced plans to open up more isolation beds as active COVID-19 cases rise with 79 active student cases and 12 active employee cases reported as of Thursday morning. Read more.

180,000 masks donated to Richmond students by CoStar Group
Face masks and other school supplies will be donated to Richmond Public School students preparing for the new school year. Read more.

Lawyer: Here's what to tell a judge to help avoid eviction during COVID-19 pandemic
Since March, more than 12 million renters have been shielded against losing their homes thanks to the federal moratorium. This week, those protections ran out. Read more.

New US virus cases fall as masks gain favor but testing lags
The number of Americans newly diagnosed with the coronavirus is falling — a development experts say most likely reflects more mask-wearing but also insufficient testing — even as the disease continues to claim nearly 1,000 lives in the U.S. each day. Read more.

$5,000 grants awarded to Virginia artists impacted by COVID-19
Governor Northam and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced Tuesday that each recipient will receive $5,000 from the Virginia Artist Relief Fellowship Program, totaling $200,000 to support the visual artists. Read more.

Dinwiddie schools change of course, switch to virtual reopening plan
The Dinwiddie County School Board Tuesday approved a full virtual learning start to the school year. Read more.

State lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19 during special session
State Senator Bryce Reeves (R - Spotsylvania) has tested positive for COVID-19. Read more.

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LATEST COVID-19 U.S. AND WORLDWIDE STATS