COVID cases continue to climb in Fairfax County

A message of hope at Lake Accotink Park.

On May 3, there were 306 new coronavirus cases and 32 deaths in the Fairfax Health District, the largest one-day numbers since the Fairfax County Health Department began responding to the pandemic in late January.

There were a total of 4,407 COVID-19 cases in the Fairfax Health District and a total of 189 deaths, the Health Department reported on May 3.

Here’s the trend in new cases for the past few days: 149 on May 2, 288 on May 1, 163 on April 30, 170 on April 29, and 276 on April 28.

The number of new COVID cases is expected to climb during the next few weeks, as Fairfax County is still in the exponential growth phase of its epidemic curve.

Part of the growth in case numbers could be due to more testing, but it’s also clear that the more cases there are, the more likely people with COVID will transmit it to others. That’s particularly the case because people don’t start experiencing symptoms until five days after being infected on average. Sometimes the incubation period is as long as 14 days.

The main way to flatten the curve is if people continue to stay home as much as possible, maintain social distancing, wash hands frequently, and wear a mask when going out.