Henrico averaging 71 new COVID cases daily; 3rd case of MIS-C reported

Henrico reported 88 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, one day after reporting its lower single-day total since October (10), according to Virginia Department of Health data. The seven-day moving average of new daily cases rose slightly, to 71.

On Wednesday, Henrico also reported its third case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, adding to a total of 49 in the state of Virginia, according to the VDH. MIS-C is a condition believed to be related to COVID-19, as many children exposed to virus contract the illness.

Henrico has witnessed 15 virus-related hospitalizations during the past three days and has reported three new deaths during that time, according to the VDH.

Each week, the number of reported outbreaks in each Virginia health district continues to decrease, according to VDH data. There have been 188 reported in Henrico County, with 3,488 associated cases. Henrico ranks third among the state's health districts, only behind Fairfax and Richmond City.

Although the average positivity rate among PCR testing encounters in the county remains below 6 percent (5.6 as of March 28), Henrico has witnessed a jump in its rate among antigen rapid tests – up to 10% as of the same date. Testing information lags behind a few days to include as much data as possible.

Nearly 152,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Henrico County, according to VDH data. Now, more than 102,700 Henricoans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and nearly 53,000 are fully inoculated.

In Virginia, about 30 percent of the population has at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the VDH. Nearly 16 percent have been fully vaccinated, including those who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As of March 28, Virginia has increased vaccination efforts to reach an average of 65,000 doses administered each day.

– Tom Lappas contributed to this article