RICHMOND, Va. – Health officials are investigating 2,654 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, according to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) data released Thursday. That means 7 new outbreaks were recorded since Wednesday's reporting.
Data show 944 (+3 from yesterday's report) outbreaks at long-term care facilities with a total of 30,209 COVID-19 cases and 3,741 deaths. That is up 75 cases and 33 additional deaths from the previous day's report.
Two new outbreaks were recorded in a congregate setting and one new outbreak was reported in a healthcare setting.
One new outbreak was recorded in an educational setting: 167 (no change) in child care centers, 73 (no change) in colleges/universities and 179 (+1) in K-12 schools.
The health department reported 1,300 more people tested positive for COVID-19 out of the 36,338 total tests processed since yesterday. That brings Virginia's total number of coronavirus cases to 581,408. Of those cases, 65,404 (+132 from previous day) are associated with outbreaks.
RELATED: County-by-county look at COVID-19 cases in Virginia; which areas saw biggest jumps Thursday
As of Thursday's update, 24,414 (+156 from previous day) people had been hospitalized and 9,357 (+31) people had died as a result of COVID-19-related illnesses, according to VDH data.
More women have been infected by the virus at 297,328 cases versus the 277,053 cases reported in men. No gender was reported for 7,027 cases in the Commonwealth.
The coronavirus first most impacted people aged 50 to 69, which currently accounts for nearly 25 percent of cases in Virginia.
However, people aged 30 to 49 now account for 31.4 percent of cases, data show.
Additionally, people in their 20s account for more than 19 percent of cases in the state.
*NOTE: This data is provided from the Virginia Department of Health daily at 9 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.
COVID-19 Precautions
Most patients with COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms. However, in a small proportion of patients, COVID-19 can lead to more severe illness, including death, particularly among those who are older or those who have chronic medical conditions.
COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Symptoms appear within 14 days of being exposed to an infectious person.
Virginia health officials urged the following precautions:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer only if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Avoid contact with sick people.
- Avoid non-essential travel.
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- Avoid non-essential travel.
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