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The average number of new daily COVID-19 cases during a moving seven-day period in Henrico County continues to drop, but the number of daily testing encounters in the county also has fallen dramatically in recent days.
On average, 68 new daily cases now are being reported in Henrico – down from a peak of 90 Nov. 26 – as 66 new cases were reported in the county Thursday by the Virginia Department of Health. The VDH also reported five deaths and three new hospitalizations attributed to the virus in Henrico.
Henrico now has surpassed 8,600 confirmed cases of the virus. It’s reported a total of 260 virus-related deaths and 604 COVID-related hospitalizations since the pandemic began.
The county’s positivity percentage rose to 7% as of Nov. 29, up from 6.5% the previous day. That data intentionally lags several days behind in order to adequately capture tests and their associated results within a weeklong window.
The number of reported testing encounters in Henrico has been dramatically lower since the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the VDH; Nov. 28 was the last day with more than 600. It’s unclear whether fewer tests actually have been conducted among county residents or if a reporting delay is causing the lower-than-normal numbers. Henrico had been averaging more than 1,300 daily tests recently, but that number has fallen to just more than 1,000 during the most recent seven-day period.
Seven active outbreaks of COVID-19 responsible for at least 171 cases of the virus are occurring in senior communities in Henrico County, according to the VDH. (View a spreadsheet of all current and previous outbreaks at senior communities.)
The earliest of the seven began Aug. 21 at Blue Ridge Senior Living and has thus far infected 26 people and killed five, according to VDH. The most recent outbreak began Nov. 24 at Beth Sholom Home of Virginia and thus far has infected fewer than five people, with no deaths reported.
At least one death also has occurred during the ongoing outbreak at Elizabeth Adam Crump Manor in Glen Allen (where 62 people have contracted the virus since Nov. 5) and at Westminster Canterbury (where 49 have contracted the virus since the ongoing outbreak there began Sept. 29).
The other outbreaks in senior communities are occurring at Commonwealth Senior Living (five cases, no deaths reported since it began Oct. 29); Manorhouse (fewer than five cases, no deaths reported since it began Nov. 20); and Westport Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (25 cases, no deaths reported since it began Nov. 13).
Two other outbreaks at senior communities in the county are classified as “pending closure” by the VDH. Those are at Cedarfield Retirement Community, where 18 cases and at least one death occurred during an outbreak that began Oct. 30, and at Laurels of University Park, where eight cases and no deaths were reported during one that began Sept. 28.
In total, 31 outbreaks have occurred in senior communities in Henrico, totaling 1,046 cases – or about 12% of Henrico’s overall count – and 155 deaths (about 60% of the county’s total).
