{"id":8544,"date":"2022-02-04T09:26:35","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T14:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=8544"},"modified":"2022-02-04T09:43:41","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T14:43:41","slug":"omicron-surge-in-cases-leads-to-increase-in-covid-19-associated-deaths-being-added-to-the-virginia-department-of-health-covid-19-dashboards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2022-news-releases\/omicron-surge-in-cases-leads-to-increase-in-covid-19-associated-deaths-being-added-to-the-virginia-department-of-health-covid-19-dashboards\/","title":{"rendered":"Omicron Surge in Cases Leads to Increase in COVID-19-Associated Deaths Being Added to the Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboards"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <\/b>– February 4, 2022
\nLogan Anderson, VDH PIO, logan.anderson@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Omicron Surge in Cases Leads to Increase in COVID-19-Associated Deaths Being Added to the Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboards<\/b><\/p>\n

(<\/span>RICHMOND, Va.<\/b>) \u2014 The recent surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant resulted in an increase in COVID-19-associated deaths, and <\/span>the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is beginning to observe these expected increases in death certificates received.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beginning Feb. 2, VDH\u2019s <\/span>Cases dashboard<\/span><\/a> began to reflect these deaths. The majority of the COVID-19-associated deaths (92%) that will be added occurred in January 2022. Certified death certificates continue to be reported, so VDH will continue to receive new death certificates for the deaths that occurred in January 2022 and those that will occur subsequently over the next few weeks and months ahead until the Omicron surge dissipates.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose deaths will also appear on the VDH Localities dashboard, but since Localities shows deaths by date of report, rather than by date of death, that dashboard should not be used to evaluate any trend in the pattern of deaths over time,\u201d said <\/span>Acting State Health Commissioner Colin M. Greene.<\/b> \u201cAs noted above, most of the deaths that appear on the Localities dashboard this week actually occurred in January and earlier, so please use the Cases dashboard for looking at patterns and trends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The best defense against COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death remains vaccination and, once fully vaccinated, staying up-to-date on your vaccine. To see the impact vaccination has on infection, hospitalization and death, view the <\/span>VDH Case Rates by Vaccination Status<\/span><\/a> dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

COVID-19 death trends should only be evaluated when viewing the data on the <\/span>Cases dashboard<\/span><\/a> by \u201cdate of death\u201d and not by \u201cdate of report.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

VDH receives certified death certificates weekly and compares them to COVID-19-associated deaths already reported in the surveillance system. Those that have not been reported through normal reporting channels are then added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The increase in deaths reported now is due to:<\/span><\/p>\n