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What does all the coronavirus data mean? Fairfax Co. Health Dept. explains

Many numbers related to the coronavirus in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are shared each day, and all of the data can be confusing.

Sometimes, it looks like the number of COVID-19 cases is spiking, when in fact that may not be the case.

In Virginia’s Fairfax County, for example, work on the system used to report disease data resulted in a smaller number of reported new cases Sunday and a spike in newly-reported cases Monday.

So, what do all the numbers really mean? What do antibody tests tell? Why is there such variation in results from day to day?

WTOP asked Dr. Rene Najera, a Fairfax County Health Department epidemiologist, for the answers to some of the biggest questions about COVID-19 and other pandemic concerns.

Va. health dept. improves nursing home inspection backlog, reforms sanction criteria for facilities

Stories of neglect in care or unsanitary living situations have plagued several of Virginia’s nursing home facilities in recent years and data backs up a lapse in oversight by state agencies.  With reform efforts underway, the Virginia Department of Health officials said they aim to adopt sanction criteria by the end of the year to rein in bad actors and get troubled facilities back on track.  As of July, 58% of Virginia’s nursing homes were overdue for inspections and 68 of Virginia’s 289 nursing homes were found to have serious deficiencies, according to ProPublica. Several of the state’s flagged facilities with numerous deficiencies also had high staffing turnover rates.  The issue has been salient among various healthcare spaces, including VDH. 
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