VIRGINIA, USA — While experts say the surge of cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has peaked in the D.C. region, Virginia health officials offered a stark reminder that the fight against the virus is not yet over.
The Virginia Department of Health reports a child under the age of 10 has died from COVID-19 in the commonwealth.
Logan Anderson, Public Information Officer with the Virginia Department of Health, told WUSA9 that privacy restrictions kept him from offering additional details about the case, but said that is the eighth death of a child between the ages of 0 and 9. Anderson also said the case originated in the Northwest Health Region, which includes Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties, but he could not be more specific about where the case originated.
Additional information about case demographics can be found on the health department's online dashboard.
Over the holiday season, the D.C. region experienced its highest number of COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The outbreak coincided with the surge of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in local communities.
But now, data from several health departments shows the region's latest COVID peak appears to be over.
In Virginia, the testing positivity rate has fallen from about 37% on Jan. 7, to a current rate of about 29%, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
According to the CDC COVID Data Dashboard, 99% of all COVID-19 cases in the U.S are due to the omicron variant. Dr. Shravani Durbhakula with Johns Hopkins Medicine said there are likely three reasons why:
- Omicron is more transmissible
- Omicron spike proteins evade immunity (natural or vaccination)
- Omicron antibodies offer protection against Delta
“What we saw, at least in the other countries, is that once cases hit their peak, they come down steeply,” explained Dr. Durbhakula, “Hopefully, by March, maybe even a little bit sooner, in March, we'll see these cases start to level out.”