Staunton's COVID cases fall 72.5%; Virginia cases fall 8.9%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read
The Leon County, Florida, Sheriffs Office Honor Guard present a wreath honoring Correctional Deputy Michael Nowak one year following his death Aug. 12, 2022. Nowak contracted COVID-19 while serving the line of duty and later succumbed to his illness.
The Leon County, Florida, Sheriffs Office Honor Guard present a wreath honoring Correctional Deputy Michael Nowak one year following his death Aug. 12, 2022. Nowak contracted COVID-19 while serving the line of duty and later succumbed to his illness.

Virginia reported 17,183 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 8.9% from the previous week. The previous week had 18,867 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Virginia ranked 17th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 11.2% from the week before, with 707,345 cases reported. With 2.56% of the country's population, Virginia had 2.43% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, eight states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Staunton reported 53 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 193 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 6,799 cases and 121 deaths.

Augusta County reported 747 cases and five deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 183 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 22,031 cases and 224 deaths.

Waynesboro reported minus 344 cases and minus one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 46 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 6,271 cases and 69 deaths.

Rockbridge County reported 519 cases and five deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 185 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 4,469 cases and 88 deaths.

​ Across Virginia, cases fell in 66 counties, with the best declines in Lexington County, with -534 cases from 7 a week earlier; in Waynesboro, with -344 cases from 46; and in Fairfax County, with 1,754 cases from 2,061. ​

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

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Within Virginia, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Emporia County with 2,881 cases per 100,000 per week; Rockbridge County with 2,299; and Norton County with 1,130. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Fairfax County, with 1,754 cases; Prince William County, with 831 cases; and Augusta County, with 747. Weekly case counts rose in 65 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Augusta, Rockbridge and Rockingham counties.

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In Virginia, ​ 104 ​ people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 91 people were reported dead.

A total of 2,011,057 people in Virginia have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 21,249 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 93,641,944 people have tested positive and 1,041,149 people have died.

Note: Johns Hopkins University data includes Virginia's independent cities as counties in the listing. There are 133 "county" entries in the data. In cases with naming conflicts, the independent city will be marked with "City County," such as "Fairfax City County" and "Fairfax County."

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Virginia's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Aug. 21. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 1,957

  • The week before that: 2,155

  • Four weeks ago: 2,116

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 68,647

  • The week before that: 69,679

  • Four weeks ago: 73,529

Hospitals in 14 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 19 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 20 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton reported 53 additional COVID-19 cases this week