COVID-19 rates continued to climb last week in Virginia, with an increase of 16,797 cases since Nov. 23, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Nov. 30 dashboard update. The state also reported 120 virus-related deaths in the past week, raising the total number of fatalities over 4,000.
As of Monday, the state has recorded 237,835 cases and 4,062 deaths. The seven-day positivity rate has hit 7.5% statewide as of Nov. 26, the most recent data available. Virginia averages about 2,400 new cases a day, or 28.2 cases per 100,000 people, according to VDH.
Public health officials across the nation prepared for worsening outbreaks due to Thanksgiving travel and gatherings; Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top public health expert, said Sunday that Americans should restrict their travels and visits during Christmas and New Year’s. More than 9 million people traveled through U.S. airports during Thanksgiving week, according to news reports. The U.S., which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world, has passed 13 million cases and 260,000 deaths. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that more than 470,000 U.S. residents could die from COVID-related causes by March 1.
