The COVID-19 uptick continues in Virginia: On Thursday, nearly 6,500 new cases of the virus were reported.
That’s one of Virginia's largest one-day jumps in cases since the pandemic began.
Virginia has only reported more than 6,000 cases in a day a few times, and it hasn't happened since January 2021, according to Virginia Department of Health data.
A total of 6,473 cases were reported Thursday, including 2,906 within the Northern Virginia region.
It also tops the number of cases counted on Wednesday, 5,972.
The seven-day average of new cases diagnosed has been steadily rising for weeks.
Hospitalizations are also up to 1,473, up from 856 one month ago.
Thirty-three more people died of the virus, according to state data.
COVID-19 cases are up 67.4% over the past two weeks, according to NBC News.
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News updates for Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
The large number of cases was announced just a day before Christmas Eve. The Virginia Department of Health urges anyone who would like to attend a holiday gathering to get tested first.