The number of COVID-19 cases in Gloucester County increased over the past week, from 23 last Wednesday to 26 on Tuesday, with seven patients hospitalized. Mathews cases remained level, at four positive cases and one hospitalized patient.

The Virginia Department of Health website experienced a technical error on Tuesday night, so Wednesday numbers were not available prior to press time for the Gazette-Journal.

The total number of cases in the Three Rivers Health District, which covers the 10 counties of the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck, was 254, up from 218 last week. Notably, there were no new cases in Richmond County, where an outbreak at Haynesville Correctional Center had caused a surge in cases over the past two weeks.

The number there remained at 143, although an additional patient has been hospitalized, for a total this week of six. However, the number of cases in Northumberland increased yet again, from 22 last week to 30 this week, with five patients hospitalized.

The number of cases in Middlesex County has increased, as well, from four last Monday to seven on Tuesday, with no patients hospitalized.

Throughout the district, 24 people who tested positive for COVID-19 were hospitalized as of Tuesday. A new metric being shared by VDH shows that 12 health care workers in the Three Rivers Health District have tested positive for the illness. There has been one additional death in the district, of a patient in Richmond County, for a total of three.

As of Tuesday, there were 19,357 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, with an additional 899 people considered “probable” for having it, for a total of 20,256 total cases. These numbers reflect an increase of over 5,000 cases from last week, when 14,328 people had been confirmed positive and 633 people were probable, for a total of 14,961 total cases.

Thus far, 713 deaths in Virginia have been attributed to COVID-19, with 690 cases confirmed and 23 cases listed as probable. This is a total increase in deaths of 191 deaths during the past week. There have been 2,773 people hospitalized with the disease thus far, up by 514 from last week, with 2,754 confirmed cases and 19 probable cases.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association’s website shows that there are currently 1,594 people hospitalized across the state who are either confirmed positive or probable for COVID-19, while 2,734 people have been treated and discharged. Of those in the hospital, 396 are in the ICU and 192 are on ventilators. There are currently 4,761 regular hospital beds available across the state, with an additional 3,695 beds available under Gov. Ralph Northam’s Executive Order 52, which authorized hospitals (and nursing homes) to increase their licensed capacity.