RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Here’s the latest on the coronavirus pandemic for June 17, 2020:
The Virginia Department of Health reported 55,775 cases of COVID-19 — 53,318 confirmed and 2,457 probable — Wednesday. The death toll is now at 1,583.
Virginia Hospitals and Healthcare Association reported that 7,429 people with the virus have been released from the hospital. The VDH and VHHA do not report recoveries.
VDH changing how race, ethnicity data are presented
The Virginia Department of Health updated its dashboard this week to provide a more detailed look at how COVID-19 affects minority populations across the state.
The data will combine race and ethnicity into one category and will expand the number of racial identities from three to seven.
Before Monday’s changes, race data was reported as one of three categories: White, Black or African American, and Other. Ethnicity data identified individuals as either Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino.
Virginia will not enter “Phase 3”
Virginia will not enter Phase Three of its reopening plan at the end of the week, Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday, but some state employees will have the day off for Juneteenth after the governor announced he would propose making the day an official holiday.
Free COVID-19 testing in Richmond, Chesterfield this week
There will be free testing events throughout the city this week. Here is when and where they are happening:
- Wednesday, June 17: 9 a.m. at Stonebridge Recreation Center, 230 Karl Linn Drive.
- Thursday, June 18: 9 a.m.- 11 a.m. at Tuckahoe Middle School 9000 Three Chopt Rd.
The events are for people who have Medicaid or don’t have insurance, who are ages 5 and older and have flu-like symptoms. Pre-registration is highly suggested; to register call 804-205-3501(Richmond) or 804-318-8207 (Chesterfield) anytime between 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
COVID-19 in Virginia
Here’s a breakdown of cases in our area:
- Charles City County: 393 cases, 10 deaths
- Chesterfield County: 23,245 cases, 263 deaths
- City of Colonial Heights: 1,315 cases, 39 deaths
- City of Hopewell: 2,068 cases, 29 deaths
- City of Petersburg: 3,068 cases, 43 deaths
- City of Richmond: 14,647 cases, 171 deaths
- Dinwiddie County: 1,769 cases, 23 deaths
- Goochland County: 1,201 cases, 10 deaths
- Hanover County: 6,578 cases, 118 deaths
- Henrico County: 21,098 cases, 417 deaths
- New Kent County: 1,221 cases, 9 death
- Powhatan County: 1,634 cases, 8 deaths
- The new variant, which shares similarities with that of one discovered first in South Africa, was first identified in samples collected in New York in November, and by mid-February represented about 12% of cases.
- A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that some indoor exercise facilities may have trouble preventing the spread of COVID-19 among exercisers.
- A real-world test of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in more than half a million people confirms that it’s very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose.
- Patients with MIS-C were more likely to be Black and ages 6 to 12 years old.
- The White House says it will deliver 25 million masks to the most vulnerable Americans. The announcement comes one day after the Biden administration ramped up the weekly vaccine shipments to states.
- More than 15,000 Chesterfield County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, meaning they've received both doses, officials said during Wednesday's Board of Supervisors meeting.
- The Virginia Department of Health announced on Wednesday that several new pharmacy networks have been added to a federal partnership that will bring an additional 52,000 vaccines to Virginia this week.
- The Virginia Department of Health announced the first case of the U.K. COVID-19 variant was identified in an adult resident of Central Virginia.
- One Mechanicsville nurse is frustrated after it took two months to get registered for the COVID-19 vaccine.
- An official source has told 8News that 10 volunteer firefighters from the Blackstone Fire Department have tested positive for the virus. This means one fifth of the department has COVID-19.
