Coronavirus cases in Virginia jumped to their highest daily total on Wednesday, just two days before most of the state is scheduled to begin the first phase of reopening.
State officials confirmed a record 1,067 new cases and 28 new deaths, according to news reports. The previous one-day record was 1,055 new cases on May 1.
Overall, Virginia has recorded 27,813 cases of COVID-19.
State officials say they're aiming to conduct 10,000 tests a day, almost double the 5,467 they've conducted since Wednesday, Norfolk station WAVY reported.
The percentage of positive cases from testing since Wednesday was 19.5 percent, a higher rate than the state average of 14 percent, according to Harrisonburg station WHSV. Health officials have recommended areas reach 10 percent or lower before reopening, but state officials say the Northern Virginia numbers are skewing the statewide rate.
Earlier this week, the number of new cases stayed below 1,000, with 946 cases on Tuesday, 730 on Monday and 989 on Sunday, WHSV reported.
The latest figures from Virginia come as neighboring Washington, D.C., has extended a stay-at-home order to June 8. It was previously scheduled to lift on Friday.
Maryland will begin reopening on Friday, except in the D.C. suburbs.
Northern Virginia made up more than two-thirds of the new cases in Virginia on Wednesday, aligning with previous data showing the more densely populated part of the state is counting the most cases. The northern region, which is near D.C., has delayed its reopening by at least two weeks because of the high counts of cases.
Accomack County, which reported its second-highest daily increase of new cases with 48, has voted to request postponement of reopening, according to WAVY.
Selected nonessential businesses will be permitted to open up with restrictions starting Friday at 12:01 a.m., Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced last week.
