(Updated at noon) After a week that saw four days of single-digit growth in cases, COVID-19 is making a bit of a comeback in Arlington.
The Virginia Dept. of Health has reported 106 new cases in Arlington over the past four days. The seven-day trailing total of new cases is now 140, compared to 84 as of Friday.
Hospitalizations have also ticked up — 16 new hospitalizations over the past seven days, compared to eight hospitalizations over seven days as of a week ago.
That follows a week of large outdoor protests in Arlington and in D.C., and the start of Northern Virginia’s Phase 1 reopening on May 29, though it’s unclear what is actually behind the rising numbers. The seven-day trailing case total is still well below the most recent peak of 303, on May 30.
In all, VDH now reports 2,256 cumulative cases, 392 hospitalizations and 122 coronavirus-related deaths in Arlington County since the start of the local epidemic. Virginia Hospital Center — which serves Arlington and surrounding communities — has successfully discharged 792 COVID cases and brought 21 patients off ventilators, according to a sign in the lobby.
Statewide, there have been 51,251 cases, 5,143 hospitalizations and 1,477 deaths.
Testing in Arlington, meanwhile, appears to be trending in the right direction. The seven-day moving average of daily PCR-based tests is around 200 (it had previously plateaued around 150), and the seven-day average positivity rate is 8.7% (below 10% is considered by health authorities to represent an adequate level of testing).
Nearly 350 “testing encounters” were reported on Friday.
