Virginia sees 136 COVID-19 deaths last week, higher than previous weeks

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Virginia went up by 7,034 last week, a decrease from the previous week, but the number of new virus-related deaths rose by 136, a higher rate than in recent weeks.

The Virginia Department of Health reported Monday, Aug. 3 that there are 93,106 coronavirus cases statewide and 2,218 deaths, with a positivity rate of 7.1%, down from 7.5% July 27. As reported previously, people between the ages of 20 and 29 are now the most-affected group, although most people who die from the coronavirus are older.

Positivity rates are still high in communities in the Eastern region of the state, where Gov. Ralph Northam placed additional restrictions on restaurants and prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people last week. Here are the most current rates, with comparisons to rates from July 27:

• Portsmouth: 17.8% (up .3%)
• Chesapeake: 13.9% (up .3%)
• Western Tidewater: 12.1% (up 1.7%)
• Norfolk: 11.6% (down 1.4%)
• Virginia Beach: 9.8% (down 2%)
• Hampton: 9.0% (down .6%)
• Peninsula: 6.3% (down 2.4%)

Southern Virginia communities also are exceeding the 10% positivity rate, which Northam and other officials say is a signal for more public safety restrictions:

• Pittsylvania-Danville: 11.3%
• West Piedmont (Martinsville and Franklin, Henry and Patrick counties): 15.6%

These are the Virginia localities that have seen 400 or more total cases, as of Aug. 3:

• Fairfax County: 15,907
• Prince William County: 8,988
• Loudoun County: 5,059
• Virginia Beach: 4,427
• Chesterfield County: 4,097
• Henrico County: 3,654
• Norfolk: 3,345
• Richmond: 2,992
• Arlington County: 2,945
• Alexandria: 2,844
• Chesapeake: 2,617
• Newport News: 1,671
• Manassas: 1,612
• Portsmouth: 1,540
• Spotsylvania County: 1,357
• Stafford County: 1,283
• Suffolk: 1,112
• Accomack County: 1,080
• Hampton: 1,070
• Harrisonburg: 1,055
• Culpeper County: 926
• Roanoke: 909
• Rockingham County: 908
• Albemarle County: 775
• Shenandoah County: 681
• Frederick County: 670
• Hanover County: 597
• Buckingham County: 596
• Fauquier County: 567
• Henry County: 511
• James City County: 510
• Manassas Park: 500
• Charlottesville: 495
• Petersburg: 473
• Lynchburg: 469
• Roanoke County: 456
• Greensville County: 437

Globally, there are 18.1 million reported COVID-19 cases and 690,055 confirmed deaths as of Aug. 3. The United States, which has the most confirmed cases and deaths worldwide, has seen 4.66 million confirmed cases so far, with 154,861 deaths nationwide attributed to the coronavirus since February.

Below is the latest data from VDH:

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