COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first confirmed case was reported on March 7, 2020, in Fort Belvoir,[5] and the first suspected case arrived in Virginia on February 23, 2020, which was a man who had recently traveled to Egypt. In response to the spread of COVID-19, the state mandated a stay at home order from March 18, 2020, until May 12, 2020, when the state began a four-phased reopening plan that lasted through July 1, 2020.[6] From May 31, 2020, until May 28, 2021, the state enforced a mask mandate, being one of the first states in the nation to enforce a statewide mask mandate. The state remained relatively stagnant in COVID-19 cases through November 2020, until there was a large surge in COVID-19 cases during the winter of 2020–21, as part of a nationwide surge in cases. Cases gradually subsided to summer and fall 2020 numbers by March 2021, with numbers falling to early pandemic numbers by June 2021.
On December 14, 2020, the state began a mass vaccination effort as part of the country's larger COVID-19 vaccine campaign. In January 2021, the state imposed a four-phase plan to prioritize what individuals by profession and age group would be eligible to receive the vaccine. On April 18, 2021, the entire population became eligible for the vaccine. By May 10, 2021, half of the state received at least COVID-19 vaccine.
As of June 1, 2021, the Virginia Department of Health reported 675,538 positive cases and 11,186 deaths in the U.S. state of Virginia (officially known as the Commonwealth of Virginia).[1][7][8][9][10]
As of June 5, 2022, Virginia has administered 16,858,301 COVID-19 vaccine doses, and has fully vaccinated 6,334,662 people, equivalent to 74.93% of the population.[11]
On December 14, 2020, first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses arrived and on December 15, 2020, first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses administered. Vaccination in Long-term Care Facilities begin.[116] As of February 1, 2021, around 817,823 people have been vaccinated with at least one dose in Virginia. Among them, 124, 407 people have been fully vaccinated.[117] Virginia is currently in Phase 2.
Projections[edit]
A number of organizations have produced models that project the trajectory of the coronavirus outbreak.[133] The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle has constructed one of these (the IHME model).[134] Penn Medicine, a consortium of the Perelman School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia, has constructed another, the COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics (CHIME).[135] Among other things, the two models differ in the methods by which they calculate the effectiveness of social distancing in reducing the number of new COVID-19 infections.[136]
As of April 6, 2020, the CHIME was projecting that the peak hospital impact of the COVID-19 outbreak would occur in Northern Virginia at the end of June.[137] On April 24, 2020, the IHME projected that Virginia's hospital resource use and numbers of deaths per day due to COVID-19 had reached their peaks.[138]
Individual case tracking[edit]
COVIDWISE App[edit]
COVIDWISE[139] is the mobile app used in the state of Virginia for tracking individual exposure to COVID-19. Through the use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)[140] technology, the app provides a confidential method of notifying people of possible exposure to those who have tested positive for COVID-19. The use of COVIDWISE is voluntary and depends on users to enter an auto-generated number into the app when they receive a positive test result. The BLE then senses phones or mobile devices that may have been within the person's proximity and sends notifications to those devices to alert their users of the exposure.
Criticism[edit]
On May 22, 2020, The Washington Post published an article that Mark J. Rozell, the dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government of Virginia's George Mason University, had authored. Rozell wrote that Governor Northam had "shambled" through Virginia's response to the pandemic. Rozell noted that Northam appeared to be ignoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for re-opening the economy,[141] thus acting in accordance with President Donald Trump's positions on the subject (see Trump administration communication during the COVID-19 pandemic#Lifting restrictions).[142]
On May 30, 2020, The Washington Post reported that many Republicans, business leaders, and some progressive Democrats were complaining that Northam was moving too slowly to reopen Virginia, while moderate Democrats and minority groups were complaining that he was moving too quickly. The Post noted that national media were pointing out that Virginia's coronavirus testing program had fallen behind those of most other states. Further, despite that well-publicized failure, Northam was permitting all nonessential retail businesses in Virginia to remain open if they could maintain social distancing, while Maryland's Governor Larry Hogan had closed all such businesses. The Post additionally reported that a Republican state senator, William M. Stanley Jr., had categorized Northam's response to the pandemic as being "utter mismanagement."[143]
Impact on sports[edit]
In college sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide.[144] On March 16, 2020, the National Junior College Athletic Association also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons.[145]
On March 17, 2020, it was announced that the Virginia Gold Cup, scheduled for May 2, 2020, would be postponed to June 20, 2020.[146]
On June 30, 2020, the Minor League Baseball season was cancelled, causing nearly 20 minor league baseball teams across Virginia not to play during the pandemic.
Virginia's two professional soccer clubs, Loudoun United FC and Richmond Kickers, returned to play in July 2020. Both teams were permitted to have fans attend matches, but under restricted capacity. The Kickers were limited to 875 fans per match (about 9.7% of capacity), and Loudoun United were limited to about 600 spectators per match (about 12% of capacity). Both teams played a truncated season that began in late July 2020 and ended in late October 2020.
In August 2020, the NCAA postponed all fall sports championships to Spring 2021, impacting numerous colleges and university athletic programs across the state. Despite this, several NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools, and schools that were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference proceeded with fall sports (cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, volleyball).
On September 12, 2020, the Richmond International Raceway hosted the 2020 Federated Auto Parts 400 race as part of the NASCAR Cup Series, which was held behind closed doors.
On September 26, 2020, several Virginia NCAA Division I FBS football schools began their seasons (Liberty, Virginia, and Virginia Tech). Old Dominion suspended their football season. Schools were limited to 1,000 spectators per game.
In November 2020, several winter sports began slightly later than normal. Schools permitted fans on a school-by-school basis. Some schools (i.e. George Mason, James Madison, and Old Dominion) played without spectators, while others (VCU, Virginia, and Virginia Tech) played with up to 250 fans in attendance.
In March 2021, VCU's men's basketball team was forced to withdraw from the NCAA Tournament due to an outbreak within the program.