COVID-19 Cases in Fairfax County Reach All-Time High

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County has reached an all-time high as of this weekend, far surpassing the previous peak immediately after Thanksgiving weekend and previous records over the summer.

The county recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day today (Monday) — 617 — since the pandemic began earlier this year. Both numbers exceed case counts that hovered around 500 on Thanksgiving weekend and when cases first peaked in June.

Cases also continue to soar statewide. Virginia shattered previous records on Sunday by recording 3,880 new cases. Over the summer, cases peaked at 2,015.

The latest numbers suggest that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is surging with more strength than ever before, even as the reality of a new vaccine materializes.

Hospitalizations in the state and in the county also continue to climb.

Fairfax County reported 20 new hospitalizations today (Monday) for a seven-day average of 15 daily new hospitalizations, the highest rate since early June. The 53 new hospitalizations reported on May 3 remains the county’s peak.

Another measure to determine community transmission — the weekly test positive rate — also continues to increase. The state’s test positivity rate is 10.8 percent while the county’s is at 11.5 percent. VDH updates data on the COVID-19 pandemic once a day at 5 p.m.

The county and the state have been preparing for the dispersal of a vaccine, which could have federal approval as early as this month. The Virginia Department of Health announced on Dec. 4 that the state is expecting to receive an estimated 480,000 doses of vaccine by the end of the year, a sizable increase from the roughly 70,000 doses that Gov. Ralph Northam previously stated Virginia would get in its first shipment.

Photo via Virginia Department of Health