Virginia July 18 COVID-19 update: Hampton Roads makes up nearly half of new cases in Virginia

July 18, 2020 steven

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Department of Health is reporting 940 additional cases of COVID-19 and 12 new deaths related to the virus.

As of Saturday morning, July 18, Virginia has an overall number of 76,3733 COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak. Of the 940 cases reported from Friday, 904 have been confirmed by testing. Another 36 were probable cases, in which a patient who shows symptoms is diagnosed without testing.

Here’s the latest count for Hampton Roads and the whole Tidewater region (numbers are cumulative)

Accomack: 1,051 cases, 73 hospitalized, 15 deaths (+3 cases, +1 deaths)
Chesapeake: 1,612 cases, 164 hospitalized, 24 deaths (+52 cases, +1 hospitalized)
Franklin: 87 cases, 6 hospitalized, 4 deaths (+4 cases)
Gloucester: 88 cases, 11 hospitalized, 1 death (+2 cases)
Hampton: 645 cases, 42 hospitalized, 4 deaths (+20 cases)
Isle of Wight: 259 cases, 19 hospitalized, 9 deaths (+8 cases, +1 hospitalized)
James City County: 402 cases, 59 hospitalized, 16 deaths (+6 cases)
Mathews: 7 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths
Newport News: 1,029 cases, 59 hospitalized, 13 deaths (+45 cases, +7 hospitalized, +3 deaths)
Norfolk: 2,134 cases, 138 hospitalized, 19 deaths (+114 cases, +1 hospitalized)
Northampton: 278 cases 43 hospitalized, 28 deaths (+1 case, +1 hospitalized)
Poquoson: 25 cases, 2 hospitalized, 0 deaths (+1 case)
Portsmouth: 925 cases, 96 hospitalized, 20 deaths (+53 cases)
Southampton: 200 cases, 10 hospitalized, 11 deaths (+5 cases)
Suffolk: 701 cases, 74 hospitalized, 44 deaths (+25 cases, +4 hospitalized)
Virginia Beach: 2,464 cases, 144 hospitalized, 36 deaths (+68 cases, +2 cases, +2 deaths)
Williamsburg: 91 cases, 12 hospitalized, 6 deaths
York: 200 cases 12 hospitalized, 3 deaths (+9 cases, +1 hospitalized)

Overall, Hampton Roads and the Tidewater Region reported 416 cases Saturday which is nearly half of the total cases statewide.

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission tracks the cases daily on their website as well, with charts of cases, deaths, and hospitalizations. Here’s a chart of new cases in each locality:

Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday said he’s monitoring the rise in cases in Hampton Roads and says it could move back to phase 2. In the meantime he’s calling on businesses to step up enforcement of face covering requirements and other health guidelines, saying their business license can be suspended if they fail to act.

Northam says non-compliance with face-covering rules and physical distancing in restaurants and other gathering places is leading to the increases, and there’s been a significant uptick in cases (about 250% since May) in people ages 20-29.

Dr. Demetria Lindsay, the health director for Virginia Beach and Norfolk, says we need to go back to the basics and not let our guard down.

“Those measures are practice social distancing, wearing our masks, using proper hand hygiene frequently, staying away from others as much as possible, and avoiding crowds.”

According to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, 1,166 residents in Virginia are currently hospitalized due to the virus. That number is a combination of confirmed positive COVID-19 patients and hospitalized patients whose COVID-19 test results are still pending.