Arlington has seen a week-long decline in the rate of new coronavirus hospitalizations, according to the latest state health department data.
Should that trend hold for another week, it would help meet the county’s five conditions to begin a phased reopening. Officials have said that a sustained 14-day downward trend in hospitalizations is No. 1 on the county’s reopening criteria.
Another criterion — an increase in testing — does not appear to be coming to fruition yet. State data shows the average number of daily tests remaining steady over the course of last week.
New data from the Virginia Dept. of Health reports 1,638 known COVID-19 cases in Arlington, along with 323 cumulative hospitalizations and 77 deaths. That’s an increase of 104 cases, 17 hospitalizations and 6 deaths from Friday.
A total of 37 hospitalizations have been reported over the past 7 days, down from a peak of 92 just a week ago.
On Friday Virginia Hospital Center, which has been treating patients from both Arlington and surrounding areas, reported — via a sign inside the hospital — that it has discharged 536 coronavirus patients and had 19 successfully get off ventilators. The hospital is not publicly reporting current hospitalizations or ventilator usage.
As of Monday there had been 6,213 standard lab-based coronavirus “testing encounters” in Arlington, according to state data. The seven-day moving average test positivity rate was down slightly, to 23.9%, but well above the 10% rate considered an indication of adequate testing.
Statewide, as of Monday, there have been a total of 31,140 COVID-19 cases, 3,822 hospitalizations and 1,014 deaths in Virginia, according to VDH.