(Updated at 9:45 a.m.) For the fourth day in a row, the number of new reported coronavirus cases in Arlington was lower than Saturday’s peak.
There are now 420 known cases in Arlington, up from 401 the day before. The reported hospitalizations in the county increased from 36 to 44.
Neighboring Fairfax County now has 1,298 reported cases, while the City of Alexandria has 254.
Statewide, the Virginia Dept. of Health reports 6,500 cases, 1,048 hospitalizations, 195 deaths and 44,169 people tested.
Arlington’s testing capability, meanwhile, is getting a boost thanks to new technology. Virginia Hospital Center announced on Friday that it using a new rapid testing system from Abbott Labs to test inpatients and hospital staff.
More from a press release:
Virginia Hospital Center (VHC), a community-based hospital providing medical services to the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 75 years, is among the first hospitals in the nation to receive the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for the detection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), delivering positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.
“Access to testing remains a crucial step in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jeffrey DiLisi, Chief Medical Officer of Virginia Hospital Center. “Our ability to use this rapid result test is a great step forward in protecting the safety of our patients, staff and community.”
The new Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test runs on Abbott’s ID NOW platform–a lightweight box (6.6 pounds and the size of a small toaster) that can sit in a variety of locations. Because of its small size, it can be used in more non-traditional places where people can have their results in a matter of minutes, bringing an alternate testing technology to combat the novel coronavirus.
Arlington County is continuing to remind residents via social media of the most effective ways to stay healthy and stop the spread of the virus, including wearing a mask when you go out.
https://twitter.com/ArlingtonVA/status/1248708237651775488