COVID-19 in Virginia: LIVE updates for Wednesday, September 23

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: 142,590 (+580 from Tuesday)
People Hospitalized: 10,718 (+43 from Tuesday)
COVID-19-Linked Deaths: 3,089 (+29 from Tuesday)
Total Tests: 2,054,035 (+11,558 from Tuesday)
All Health Districts Current 7-Day Positivity Rate Total: 5.7%

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

Northam says new refinancing plan will save Virginia colleges, universities $300M
Governor Ralph Northam announced a new higher education refinancing plan Tuesday that he says will save Virginia’s public colleges and universities more than $300 million over the next two years. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have tremendous impacts on higher education, including the fiscal health of our colleges and universities,” said Governor Northam. Read more.

James Madison University to resume in-person instruction
James Madison University says it will resume in-person instruction. School officials say they now feel confident that they can keep students safe through the fall semester. Read more.

30-plus COVID-19 patients discharged in Virginia; hospitalizations increase
More than 30 additional COVID-19 patients have been discharged from Virginia hospitals in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA). Read more.

New COVID-19 outbreaks reported in Virginia Sunday
Data show 415 (no change from yesterday's report) outbreaks at long-term care facilities with a total of 10,209 COVID-19 cases and 1,487 deaths. That is up 8 cases and 9 additional deaths from the previous day's report. Read more.

Virginia reports first child COVID-19 death
The teen was a resident in the Southside Health District, the health department announced Friday afternoon. Read more.

Students attend weekend house party, now some have COVID-19
A weekend house party that attracted upwards of 60 high school students prompted the Friday morning shutdown of two private school campuses in Richmond. Read more.

CDC reverses controversial advice about who should be tested for COVID-19
U.S. health officials are dropping a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and telling all those who have been in close contact with infected people to get tested. Read more.

Virginia's Community Colleges to continue virtual learning through spring semester
Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia's Community Colleges, said in a Friday letter to students that VCC schools will continue offering virtual learning through the spring semester. Read more.

Richmond Kickers' home game postponed after positive test on visiting team
The Richmond Kickers home game, scheduled for Saturday, September 19 at City Stadium, has been postponed. Read more.

Inmates at Virginia prison 'fighting to stay alive' during mass COVID-19 outbreak
The Virginia Department of Corrections reports 537 positive cases at the facility and 8 deaths, as of Thursday evening. The facility has the most COVID-19 related deaths in any Virginia DOC facility. Read more.

Latest CDC forecast projects 218,000 COVID-19 deaths by Oct. 10
With the new forecast, that means approximately 9,600 to 20,600 more people could die in the next three weeks.Read more.

UVA discovers cluster of coronavirus cases at residence hall
The University of Virginia says its increasing testing of students after it identified a cluster of coronavirus cases in a residence hall. Read more.

Liberty University launches COVID-19 dashboard after 'technical glitch' delay
The dashboard, which launched Wednesday, showed 141 active coronavirus cases among the university's students and employees.
Read more.

High schoolers expand 'very impressive' online education program for kids
A group of high school honors students spearheading an online enrichment program is expanding its reach. Read more.

Tuesday marks highest 1-day COVID-19 death toll since August in U.S.
Forbes reports that those lives lost on Tuesday were the nation's highest one-day total since Aug. 19, when 1,295 Americans perished. 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.

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.

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.

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LATEST COVID-19 U.S. AND WORLDWIDE STATS