As virus case totals drop, Henrico reports another 12 COVID deaths from post-holiday surge

Henrico County reported 59 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, according to the Virginia Department of Health, a number in line with the reporting from other recent days. The seven-day moving average of new daily cases continued to hover near 70, reaching 71.

After seeing a spike in COVID-related hospitalizations on Friday to 18 – the most reported in the county on a single day during the pandemic – Henrico reported only 3 new ones related to the virus on Monday, according to VDH data.

The full impact of the post-holiday surge of cases, however, continues to become clearer as the VDH continues to process death certificates from the past month. It reported another 12 virus-related deaths in Henrico Monday, bringing to 140 the total number reported since Feb. 20 and increasing the county’s total during the pandemic to 499.

During the weekend, testing encounters continued to yield lower positivity rates, according to VDH data. The moving positivity rate among PCR tests in the county fell to 6.8 percent, and among antigen rapid tests, it fell to 6.2 percent, as of Feb. 24. These counts intentionally lag behind so that the county can include as much data as possible.

More than 15 percent of Virginians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. With over 1.9 million vaccines administered across the state, Henrico County has administered 72,186, according to the VDH. More than 25,000 Henricoans – or nearly 8 percent of the county’s population – have been fully vaccinated, receiving both vaccinations necessary for full inoculation.

During the weekend, Virginia boosted its vaccination efforts, reaching more than 42,000 administrations each day, according to VDH data. Local health care departments have administered more vaccines than hospitals, and more pharmacies are opening up for distribution.