New daily COVID-19 cases in Henrico dwindling to just a handful

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Henrico has shrunk to just 16, with more than 20 new cases reported only three times since May 10, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Since 54 new cases were reported in the county May 1 and 34 new cases May 2, the daily count has remained below 30 except for two occasions. And it’s been below 20 the past three days, including Sunday, when just two new cases were reported.

Fewer people are being tested, too, but the positivity percentages among those who are also has fallen dramatically as more people have been vaccinated. The seven-day positivity percentage among PCR testing encounters in Henrico as of May 14 was just 2.4% – the lowest it’s ever been. The rapid testing positivity percentage as of the same date in the county was 3.3%, tying its all-time low.

Just more than half of all Henricoans have received at least one dose of vaccine, while almost 40% (about 132,000 people) are now fully vaccinated, according to the VDH.

After peaking April 2 with an average of more than 85,000 daily vaccine doses administered statewide, Virginia has seen its vaccination levels decline steadily, as all those who wanted the vaccine as soon as possible have now had their opportunity to receive it. The state was administering just shy of 42,000 daily doses on average as of May 13, according to the VDH.

Daily virus-related hospitalizations in Henrico have dropped (to fewer than one) after hovering largely between two and four since March. The county has reported 10 virus-related deaths this month, though it’s unclear how many actually occurred this month and how many occurred in weeks past.

In total, 612 Henricoans are reported to have died from the virus, which hospitalized 1,062 county residents.