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Coronavirus in the DMV: August 1

The coronavirus impact on the DMV continues. Here are the latest updates.

WASHINGTON — The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) remains present around the country, as well as here in the DMV. Things like masks and social distancing are still important, but our counties and communities have begun to reopen.

This blog details the latest updates on our Road to Recovery in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Check-in each day for what’s new, where each part of the DMV is at in its phased reopening plan and what direction the coronavirus trend is headed.

Have a question? Text it to us at 202-895-5599.

Updates on coronavirus cases come from health departments between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. every day.

Reopening the DMV 

.The latest in reopening news:

  • Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the jurisdiction will remain in Phase 2 of reopening. Here's the latest.
  • Virginia has begun Phase 3 of reopening. More details about Phase III in Virginia here. 
  • A last-minute change prohibits bar seating in Phase 3 of Virginia's reopening. More details here.
  • As new cases have begun rising again in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam has promised stricter enforcement of mask and social distancing rules. What that means here
  • Gov. Northam has tightened some coronavirus restrictions in the Hampton Roads area. More here.
  • D.C. is now in Phase II of reopening. It means restaurants and non-essential retail can open indoors at 50% capacity and gyms and yoga studios can reopen with restrictions. Full details on what Phase II means in D.C. here. 
  • Metro has reopened some stops. Here's what you need to know. 
  • All of Maryland is now in Phase II, and the state's largest casino, MGM National Harbor, has reopened. 
  • Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has expanded the masks requirements in the state, and issued a travel advisory. More here.
  • Amusement parks have begun declaring opening dates. Click here for more on those.

Tracking the Coronavirus 

  • No new deaths have been reported in the District, where testing positivity remains under 5% and case numbers have leveled after a recent uptick.
  • As of Saturday, Maryland now averages 902 cases of the virus and reports 12 new deaths.
  • The commonwealth reports 913 cases of the virus, bring the total to 90,801.
  • Virginia reports 41 new deaths from the coronavirus, the highest single-day count since May 28. It's day six of the commonwealth's sharp increase in deaths.

Friday, July 31:

  • D.C.’s recent upward trend in new cases has leveled off, and even begun decreasing slightly over the past week. The city is now averaging 12% fewer new cases each day than it was a week ago. D.C. coronavirus live updates
  • Maryland reported 1,169 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday – the third time in the past week the state has broken the 1,000 mark.
  • As of Friday, Maryland is now averaging nearly 50% more cases per day than it was just two weeks ago.
  • People under the age of 30 have continued making up a larger percentage of new cases in Maryland, with that demographic representing an average of 40% of new cases each day for more than two weeks. Maryland coronavirus live updates
  • Virginia reported 33 new deaths from the coronavirus on Friday. That’s its highest single-day count since May 28, and day five of a sharp increase in deaths.
  • The commonwealth has now averaged more than 1,000 new cases a day for the past week – tying its previous record from late May.
  • The number of COVID-19 ICU patients and patients on ventilators in Virginia has continued steadily increasing since July 6. As of Friday, the number of COVID-19 ventilator patients had grown by just under 20% over the past two weeks. Virginia coronavirus live updates

Thursday, July 30:

  • On Thursday, the District of Columbia reported its 12,000th case of the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Of those, more than 9,700 have been cleared from isolation.
  • All but two of D.C.’s wards (2 and 3), have reported more than 1,000 cases of the coronavirus. Ward 4 is the only ward so far to report more than 2,000. 
  • As of Thursday, Maryland’s seven-day average was above 900 new cases a day for the first time since May 31.
  • Deaths from the coronavirus have remained steady in Maryland at an average of 9-10 a day for most of July. 
  • As of Thursday, Virginia is one day away from tying its longest streak (seven days) of averaging more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus a day.
  • Deaths from the coronavirus, which had been plateaued over the past two weeks, have been significantly above average over the past three days.

Wednesday, July 29: 

  • As of Wednesday, DC Health reports there are only 8 COVID-19 patients on ventilators in the city. That’s the lowest number since the agency began tracking that data.
  • D.C. is now averaging 67 new cases of the coronavirus a day – twice what the city was at the beginning of July.
  • On Wednesday, Maryland reported 20 new deaths from the coronavirus. That’s the state’s highest number of deaths reported in a day since early July, and more than twice the average number of deaths over the past week.
  • The Maryland Department of Health says more than 570 patients are currently hospitalized due to the coronavirus. That’s the highest count in more than a month. 
  • Virginia reported 30 new deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday – three times the commonwealth’s average over the past week, and the highest single-day count since July 9.
  • Virginia has now averaged more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus a day over the past five days.
  • As of Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health reports there are 1,350 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in the commonwealth, of which 276 are ICU patients. That’s the highest number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 since June 2.

Tuesday, July 28:

  • After two weeks of missing the transmission rate goal of less than 1 new infection per case, DC Health says it has met it for the latest two days available (July 11 and 12).
  • DC Health says more than 100 hospital beds in the city are in use by COVID-19 patients for the first time since July 2. Ventilator use remains on the decline, however. 
  • Over the past three weeks, the number of hospital beds in use by COVID-19 patients in Maryland has increased by more than 40%. The state says nearly 550 hospital beds are now in use for treating coronavirus infections.
  • Maryland has reported the results of more than 20,000 COVID-19 tests a day over the past five days. That has helped keep its percent positivity at 4.5%, even as the number of new cases continues to rise. 
  • Virginia now reports that it set a new single-day testing record on Friday, with the results of more than 19,800 tests coming in. The commonwealth’s percent positivity is now around 7.5%.
  • The commonwealth has now averaged more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus a day for the past four days. Its current record is seven consecutive days above 1,000 new cases.

Monday, July 27:

  • D.C. has now been on an increasing trend in coronavirus cases for nearly three weeks, and is averaging as many cases each day as it did in mid-June.
  • DC Health reports that it has been able to contact trace 100% of new cases every day since July 17.
  • Maryland set a new single-day testing record on Friday. The state reported the results of nearly 35,000 tests, with a one-day percent positivity of less than 4%.
  • On Saturday, Maryland reported 1,288 new cases of the coronavirus. That’s its highest single-day count since May 18, and its third highest ever.
  • Maryland has now been on an upward trend in new coronavirus cases for more than a month, and on a significant upward trend since July 10. The state’s 7-day average count of new cases per day has more than doubled since then and is now at 884 cases.
  • Virginia reported 1,505 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday – its second-highest single-day count since the pandemic began.
  • The commonwealth is now averaging more than 1,100 new cases a day. That’s where it was at the peak of the virus in late May, and just 8% away from its peak daily caseload.
  • Virginia is now averaging more than 200 cases per day more than when it began Phase I of reopening, and more than 400 cases per day more when it began Phase II.

Saturday, July 25:

  • Virginia reports 1,245 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 83,609. 
  • D.C. reports 68 new cases of COVID-19, increasing the District's total number of cases to 11,717. 
  • Maryland's statewide positivity rate drops to 4.48%, increasing to the total number of cases to 83,054. 

Friday, July 24:

  • While cases remain on an upward trend, DC Health has now reported its ability to contact trace more than 90% of cases for more than a month. This is one of the District’s key coronavirus metrics.
  • As of Friday, D.C. is now averaging 76 new cases of the coronavirus a day. That’s its highest seven-day average since June 9. 
  • Maryland reported 930 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. That’s its highest single-day total since May 30.
  • Maryland is now averaging 771 new cases of the coronavirus a day – up 83% from where it was just two weeks ago.
  • Four separate parts of Maryland have now reported more than 10,000 cases of the coronavirus: Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City. 
  • Virginia reported 1,127 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. That’s its highest single-day total since June 7, and one of only six times the commonwealth has reported more than 1,100 cases in a single day.
  • Virginia’s percent positivity has been on an upward trend since late June when it was below 6%. As of Friday, the Virginia Department of Health report’s the commonwealth’s percent positivity at just under 8%. This comes despite a significant increase in daily tests over the past few weeks. 

Thursday, July 23:

  • The District has now failed to meet its transmission rate goal for coronavirus cases for two weeks. The goal is to be below 1 new infection per case, on average. Since June 26, that number has been above 1, and as high as 1.3 (the data for this metric lags and is only available up to July 10).
  • Despite a recent rise in new cases, for now COVID-19-related hospital bed use in D.C. continues to remain flat. As of Thursday, 91 beds in D.C. hospitals were in use by COVID-19 patients – roughly the same number as have been in use since July 3. 
  • Maryland has reported more than 15,000 coronavirus tests on seven of the past eight days. That’s helping the state keep its percent positivity at 4.5%, even as the number of cases statewide continues increasing.
  • As of Thursday, the Maryland Department of Health reports the state has conducted more than 1 million coronavirus tests.
  • After months of decline, the number of hospital beds in use for coronavirus patients in Maryland has been steadily increasing over the past week and a half – rising from 386 on July 13 to 528 as of Thursday (a 37% increase). 
  • Virginia’s seven-day average for daily deaths from the coronavirus has been on a declining trend since July 3. However, deaths from the virus have tended to have a two week lag period behind increases in new cases, so that trend may reverse itself within the next week.
  • Virginia hospitals have begun reporting difficulty in obtaining adequate PPE again. As of Tuesday, two hospitals in the commonwealth told VDH they were having such difficulties. The last time a hospital reported troubled getting PPE was May 2.
  • The number of patients on ventilators in Virginia is on the rise again, increasing from a low of 86 on July 7 to 136 as of Thursday – a 58% increase in the past two weeks. 

Wednesday, July 22:

  • D.C. reported 104 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday. That’s the first time the District has reported more than 100 cases in a single day since June 4. 
  • Maryland has now reported more than 80,000 total cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began.
  • Daily deaths from COVID-19, which have been declining for months, have plateaued over the past week. Maryland is now averaging 10 new deaths a day from the virus.
  • After dropping to a low of around 350 cases a day in late June, Maryland is now averaging more than 700 cases a day again. 
  • Virginia has now reported more than 80,000 cases of the coronavirus.
  • On Wednesday, for the first time since the pandemic began the commonwealth’s total COVID-19 case count surpassed Maryland’s.
  • Virginia has reported more than 1,000 cases a day on four of the past eight days. It’s now averaging 981 cases a day – where it was at in early June near the height of the first wave. 

Tuesday, July 21:

  • On Tuesday, D.C. reported 88 new cases of the coronavirus. That’s its highest daily case count since June 4.
  • The District has now been on an upward trend for two weeks, and its seven-day moving average is now double what it was at the beginning of that trend (69 cases, versus 35). 
  • Maryland has been on a significant upward trend over the past two weeks. Since July 7, when it was averaging 405 cases a day, its seven-day moving average has risen by more than 86%. As of Tuesday, the state is now averaging 755 new cases a day – where it was at in mid-June.
  • As WUSA9 reported on Monday, an average of 40% of Maryland's new cases each day now come from residents under the age of 30. That’s up from around 28% at the beginning of June. 
  • Virginia has now been on an upward trend for a month. As of Tuesday, the commonwealth is averaging 990 new cases of the coronavirus a day. That’s up 75% from where it was two weeks ago.
  • Virginia is now just 175 cases away from surpassing Maryland’s total coronavirus case count. At the beginning of July, the states differed by more than 4,500 cases. 

Monday, July 20:

  • DC returned to its recent upward trend over the weekend and has now reported more than 70 cases in a single day three times over the past week. The District began July averaging 34 cases a day. 
  • Maryland reported 925 cases of the coronavirus on Sunday – its highest single-day count since late May. The state is now averaging more than 700 new cases a day. That’s twice the rate it began July at.
  • Maryland has reported a huge increase in coronavirus testing volume over the past few days. On Saturday alone the state reported results from more than 28,000 tests. 
  • Virginia has reported more than 1,000 new cases a day on three of the past seven days. The commonwealth is now averaging more than 960 new cases a day – just 14% below its all-time high.
  • As of Monday, Virginia’s total case count is just 300 below the state of Maryland’s. At their current growth rates, Virginia is set to surpass Maryland’s total case count for the first time ever within the next few days.
  • Also as of Monday, Virginia reports nearly 80% of the hospital beds in the state are currently in use. That’s up from 64% in mid-April.

Sunday, July 19:

  • Maryland reports 925 new cases of the virus, the most since May 30. Nine additional people have died from the virus, bringing the total to 3,238.
  • In Virginia, cases continue to trend upwards as the commonwealth reports 1,057 additional cases. It's the third day in less than a week that case numbers have exceeded 1,000.
  • In the District, no new deaths are reported. The total amount of cases is now at 11,261.
  • However, D.C. is not meeting two metrics it needs to begin Phase 3: A 14-day sustained decrease in cases in the community and a sustained low transmission rate below 1 new infection per case. The latter metric has been worsening since June 30.

Read previous updates here.

What precautions should you take? 

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Check the status of the virus in your state with your state health department's websites by tapping below:

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