Va. coronavirus cases jump to 30

State's confirmed cases nearly doubled overnight

Published March 13, 2020 by Richard Foster

Gov. Ralph Northam discussed coronavirus response plans with Bon Secours Mercy Health representatives on March 13 at Richmond Community Hospital.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Virginia jumped to 30 Friday — up from 17 confirmed cases on Thursday, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Ten patients are hospitalized and there have been coronavirus-related deaths in Virginia.

There are now seven cases in James City County, six cases in Fairfax County, five cases in Arlington County, three cases in Loudoun County and two cases each in Prince William County and Virginia Beach. There is one confirmed case in each of the following localities: Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg and the counties of Hanover and Prince Edward.

The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic Wednesday and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in the commonwealth Thursday. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Virginia jumped to 30 on Friday, up from 17 the day before. There are more than 137.000 novel coronavirus cases worldwide, with more than 5,000 deaths reported, as of Friday afternoon. Nearly 1,300 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across the United States, with more than 30 deaths reported.

VDH’s Central Shenandoah Health District confirmed Thursday that the first case in their region was a person in their 60s living in Harrisonburg. “The resident developed upper respiratory symptoms that progressed over a few days to a pneumonia with high fever. The patient was tested for the novel coronavirus by a commercial lab. The patient is currently doing well and is in isolation,” according to a state news release.

The Peninsula Health District, which includes Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg, James City County and York County, also announced its first two cases Thursday. Health officials believe that the two were infected during international travel but did not release any other details.

“Given the nature of the current outbreak, discovering COVID-19 in our community does not come as a surprise and we expect to see more cases in the coming weeks. Fortunately, at this time we have not seen community-wide spread of the virus,” said Peninsula Health District Director Dr. Thomas Franck in a statement. “The health department continues to conduct surveillance and investigation of any future potential cases. This is a continually evolving situation in Virginia and nationwide, and the health department will continue to keep people informed.”