For 2nd straight day, Va. Beach sets record for COVID-19 cases

Health officials: Increase a result of expected ‘post-holiday’ surge

Another record-setting number of coronavirus cases — 503 — was reported Friday morning in Virginia Beach, according to statistics from the Virginia Department of Health.

The report comes a day after the record was set at 419 and brings the city’s total number of cases during the pandemic to 19,314.

Health department officials said both increases are a result of the expected “post-holiday surge” and not a backlog issue.

“This is not due to a backlog of cases but are new labs being reported to public health daily,” wrote clinic administrative manager for the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health Caitlin Leonard in an email. “We anticipate the higher numbers to continue and/or increase in the upcoming days and weeks.”

Virginia Beach reported two more deaths Friday, bringing the city’s total to 164.

Also reported in Hampton Roads were seven new cases in Hampton, 60 in Suffolk, 74 in Chesapeake, 80 in Portsmouth and Newport News, and 103 in Norfolk.

Statewide, 5,238 new cases were reported, bringing the state’s total to 387,917. Of those, 321,172 are confirmed and 66,745 are probable, according to the health department.

Health systems in Virginia continued to administer COVID-19 vaccines this week. Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday that Virginians wanting to get the vaccine should be able to do so by the end of this year.

Northam and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, took part in a virtual event Friday about health equity and vaccines.