There are currently 7,257,519 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, around the world and 1,979,893 confirmed cases across the country. The global total number of deaths stands at 411,681, and the United States’ at 112,006. Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University has been keeping up-to-date information through an interactive map.
As of Wednesday morning, Virginia had 51,738 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 5,203 people hospitalized, 1,496 deaths and 388,480 people tested. Fairfax has the highest total number of cases, with 12,695 to date, with 1,437 hospitalized and 416 deaths. Arlington has reported 2,265 cases with 395 hospitalized and 122 deaths. Alexandria has 2,115 cases with 212 hospitalized and 47 deaths. Loudoun County has 3,174 cases with 185 hospitalized and 67 deaths and Prince William County has 7,949 cases (including Manassas and Manassas City), with 669 hospitalized and 136 deaths. You can keep up with the commonwealth’s daily updates here. (Virginia Department of Health)
Regional
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, tallied in at 120,116 in the DMV on Wednesday morning. Maryland reported 58,904 cases, Virginia reported 51,738 and Washington, DC reported 9,474. The death toll has reached a total of 4,677, with 2,686 in Maryland, 1,496 in Virginia and 495 in DC. (Virginia Department of Health; Maryland Department of Health; Stay Home DC!)
Local
Northern Virginia was given the go-ahead to enter phase two of reopening by Gov. Ralph Northam in a Tuesday press conference. The five jurisdictions, including Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County, will be allowed to open restaurant dining rooms to 50% capacity, fitness centers to 30% capacity and host large gatherings of up to 50 people. The governor also announced a phased reopening of schools for the fall and start of the 2020-2021 school year. Students will be allowed to have in-person instruction, but only with staggered schedules, remote-learning options for immunocompromised students and more. (WTOP)
Statewide
A backlog of test results from the Virginia Department of Health will be added to the state’s reported numbers this week, amounting to 13,000 additional tests that had yet to be reported. The collection is expected to largely include negative test results, as the state has said it prioritized releasing positive test results. (Inside NoVA)
National
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 are rising sharply in the two weeks following Memorial Day, with over a dozen states reporting their highest averages of new cases since the pandemic began, and nine states with increased hospitalizations. “In Texas, North and South Carolina, California, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah and Arizona, there are an increasing number of patients under supervised care since the holiday weekend because of coronavirus infections. The spikes generally began in the past couple weeks and in most states are trending higher,” reported The Washington Post. (The Washington Post)
Global
The World Health Organization (WHO) is backtracking its statement from June 8, on whether asymptomatic or “people without symptoms” of COVID-19 are spreading the novel coronavirus as much as previously stated. An official from the organization had originally said asymptomatic transmissions are “very rare” and sparked worldwide criticism and scientific debate, leading conspiracy theorists to challenge social distancing and mask-wearing. The WHO is now calling the statement a “misunderstanding” and stands by that there is currently not enough information on the virus to know whether or not asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals are causing frequent spreads of the virus, but referenced some modeling studies that “have suggested as much as 41% of transmission may be due to asymptomatic people,” as reported by The Washington Post. (The Washington Post)
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