Loudoun County’s positive test rate for COVID-19 dipped under 5 percent in the seven-day rolling average released Wednesday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The 5 percent mark has been a target for local health officials as they look to quell the harm brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Wednesday, Loudoun’s rate for all testing was 4.7 percent, while the statewide rate was 4.8 percent.
Loudoun saw an average of 24 new cases per day from Sept. 23 through Sept. 30. Altogether, the county’s case total was 6,889, with 38 new cases logged on Wednesday.
One new COVID-19-related death was reported Wednesday, the county’s 125th.
As for hospitalizations, the county saw an average of one per day over the past week. There have been 435 overall.
Loudoun County Health Director David Goodfriend said the county’s mid-20s average of new cases a day is down from the mid-30s over the summer. Infected students returning to college is one of the short-term reasons for the decline and percent positive dropping in Loudoun, he said.
“We had this period of time where we were having these people ascribed to be Loudoun County cases ... because they were part of testing events in Loudoun County, they also increased our percent positive and total numbers,” Goodfriend said.
The health director said one of the question marks is how the cold weather will impact the number of cases.
“When we see transient increases, it’s not a reason to panic. When we see transient decreases, it’s definitely not a reason to relax,” Goodfriend said. “Right now it’s all under our control for us as a community of wearing masks, keeping social distancing, staying home when sick, using hand sanitizer. When we stop doing that because we think the risk is less, it will go up again.”
Northam, wife test positive
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Sept. 25 that he and his wife have both tested positive for the coronavirus.
The governor’s office said in a statement that Northam was showing no symptoms while those of Pam Northam were mild.
Northam and his wife planned to isolate for the next 10 days while working remotely.
Northam, a Democrat, is the country’s only governor who is also a doctor. Some Republican lawmakers have criticized his restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, calling them too stringent.
Northam said the positive test result shows that the virus is “very real and very contagious.”
“We are grateful for your thoughts and support, but the best thing you can do for us — and most importantly, for your fellow Virginians — is to take this seriously,” Northam said.
The Associated Press contributed the information about Gov. Northam and his wife testing positive for COVID-19.
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