While hospitalizations have stayed relatively level in the D.C. area in recent weeks and deaths remain low, the percentage of people who are testing positive for COVID-19 is climbing.
According to the from the Virginia Department of Health, the 7-day positivity rate for PCR tests is at 20.5%.
Ahead of last year’s holiday, the positivity rate was less than 2%.
D.C. is seeing in months heading into July 4. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 9.56% of tests taken came back positive.
reported an 8.74% positivity rate on Thursday.
Both D.C. and Maryland had a less than 1% positivity rate this time last year.
On Friday, , but VDH noted on its website that the number may have spiked, “as death certificates are being processed following a 2-week blackout period.”
As of Thursday, the 7-day death rate in D.C. was at zero, .
have remained under 10 a day since early March.
Although two new highly-contagious omicron subvariants have been driving a recent rise in cases nationwide, it hasn’t fueled a surge in COVID deaths.
