County announces three COVID-19 deaths; projections get grimmer

Three men in the Fairfax Health District have died of coronavirus-related illnesses, the Fairfax County Health Department announced Wednesday.

The three men were all hospitalized at the time of their deaths. One man was in his 60s, another was in his 80s and the third was in his 90s, according to the health department.

Five people have now died from coronavirus complications in the Fairfax Health District, which includes the county, Fairfax City and the City of Falls Church.

Statewide their have been 34 deaths, and across the country there have been more than 3,600 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon.

Death projections increase

One university’s model now has coronavirus-related deaths in Virginia increasing until May 20, when there could be as many as 58 deaths a day in the state. That’s according to a University of Washington study, which models projections for the country and all 50 states.

That study’s projections change with newly available data, and just a few days ago it had estimated that there will be approximately 32 deaths per day during peak in early May. But since then the numbers have been revised upward and the peak date pushed back.

The new estimates would mean that hospitals around the state will be strained even further. There are currently 208 people hospitalized due to coronavirus-related complications in Virginia. The University of Washington study projects that more than 900 intensive care beds will be needed by May 20. The state currently has 381, according to the study.

It is unclear how many people are hospitalized with coronavirus in Fairfax County, the state’s largest jurisdiction. A spokesman for the county health department said Wednesday that individual hospitals would need to disclose those numbers. A email sent to Inova, which is Northern Virginia’s largest hospital system, was not intermediately returned.

On Tuesday federal government scientists said that the death toll from coronavirus could end up being between 100,000 and 240,000, according to the New York Times.

Current coronavirus cases breakdown:

• Cases in Fairfax County: 288 (as of April 1)
• Tests Fairfax County: Unknown (as of April 1)
• Deaths in Fairfax County: 5 (as of April 1)
  source: Fairfax Department of Health

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• Cases in Virginia: 1,484 (as of April 1)
• Tests in Virginia: 15,344 (as of April 1)
• Deaths in Virginia: 34 (as of April 1)
  source: Virginia Department of Health

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• Cases in U.S. 186,101 (as of April 1)
• Tests in United States: unknown (as of April 1)
• Deaths in United States: 3,603 (as of April 1)
  source: CDC.gov