As Virginia prepares to resume some business activity Friday, the number of daily new reported cases hit a record high on Thursday.
Data reported Thursday morning by the Virginia Department of Health shows 1,067 new cases. That's the largest daily increase since the crisis began. The new cases raised the state's total to 27,813.
28 additional deaths were reported Thursday, raising the state's total to 955.
The health department reported 5,467 new test results Thursday, raising Virginia's total to 185,551. The positivity rate, which had been trending downward over the last few days, bounced up to about 19%. The positivity rate is one ofthe key factorsstate officials have been watching. It's generally been trending down since late April. The number of new cases plotted by when symptoms began has flattened since the beginning of the month.
Hospital capacity, ventilator useage and the supply of personal protective equipment has been stable, based ondata reported by the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.
PCR tests vs. antibody tets
The health department said Thursday morning that it would start reporting separate data for diagnostic (PCR) and serology (antibody) tests. The health department had been reporting both types of tests as one lump sum.
A news release says removing the number of serology tests from the state's testing total does not dramatically alter the positivity rate. The release says the average positivity rate increases from 14% to 15% without the antibody tests. Serology tests make up abbut 9% of Virginia's total number of performed tests.
Reporting by the Richmond Times Dispatch questioned why the less accurate serology tests were being included in the state's total and whether it artificially increased the state's testing metrics. The health department considers a COVID-19 case confirmed only when there is a positive PCR test. Serology tests look for antibodies in a patient's blood that signal a possible previous immune response to COVID-19.
