About the Data

VDH uses these data systems below to track and report data on COVID-19.

The Virginia Electronic Disease Surveillance System (VEDSS) is the system VDH uses to report, track, and manage laboratory data and case investigations of reportable diseases in Virginia.

The Virginia Outbreak Surveillance System (VOSS) is the surveillance system used to report, track, and manage outbreak investigations of reportable diseases or other health conditions in Virginia.

The Virginia Immunization Information System (VIIS) is a free statewide registry, which includes immunization (vaccine) history for people of all ages living in Virginia. 

Case and hospital admissions data: Case and hospital admissions data from public health investigations are entered in the Virginia Electronic Disease Surveillance System (VEDSS) each day. Public health investigations are where public health staff gather information from the patient or healthcare provider about a patient who is ill or who has a positive test for COVID-19. 

Death data: Death data from public health investigations are entered in VEDSS each day. Death data from VEDSS are matched with death certificate data from Vital Records for additional information, such as race/ethnicity and sex. Sometimes a death certificate is received for a person who has not initially been identified as having passed away in the VEDSS record. These cases are reviewed to see if they meet the CDC confirmed and probable surveillance case definitions  for deaths. If appropriate, their VEDSS record will be updated with the information from the death certificate. If  the death certificate indicates a person died from COVID-19 but no laboratory report is available to confirm the cause of death, this is noted as a death of a 'probable' case.

Testing data: Private and public laboratories report COVID-19 positive and negative test results to VDH on a daily basis, either through electronic or paper-based submission. Testing data can help VDH identify new cases or new information about known cases, but it is a separate data source from case data. 

Vaccine administered data: Healthcare providers who are a part of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program are required to enter data into VIIS daily. Vaccines administered are reported to VIIS, which requires First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, Vaccine Administered, and Date of Administration for each vaccine dose administered. Providing additional demographic information to distinguish people from each other such as Middle Name, Sex, Address, Phone number, Race, and Ethnicity is encouraged. A phone number allows people to receive reminders to get their second dose of vaccine, if needed.

Vaccine received data: Available to VDH through CDC VTrckS Ordering System. This information will be updated daily. The date of vaccines received is the date the vaccine is shipped to a provider.

Variants data: Variants are identified by additional laboratory testing, called genomic sequencing, of specimens which are positive for COVID-19. This laboratory data is entered into VEDSS and matched with the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) data. GISAID is the standard data source for international genomic data. Not all COVID-19 specimens collected in Virginia are sequenced.

Daily case incidence rate is dividing the daily number of new cases for a geographic area (i.e. county, city, state) by the number of people living in that area and multiplying by 100,000. This creates a value that offers a standardized way to compare counties or cities with populations of varying size in Virginia.  For example, if the city of Richmond has 100 cases and the city of Radford has 100 cases, the rate in Richmond will be much lower.  This is because the number of people living in Richmond is much higher than in Radford. 

Case incidence rate, 7-day moving average is the average of rates per 100,000 over the previous 7 days. The moving average helps to level out the data so that any day with a high or low rate does not skew the data.

Case incidence rate, past 14 days is dividing the total number of new cases in the past 14 days for a geographic area (i.e. county, city, state) by the number of people living in that area, and multiplying by 100,000. This calculation differs from the daily case incidence rate because it captures the case incidence across 14 days instead of a single day. Fourteen days is used because it is the typical amount of time between being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and when symptoms start.

Report date versus event date: VDH presents COVID-19 data using two different dates. Both dates are important to show COVID-19 burden and trends over time.

• Report date means the date reported on the VDH website.
• Event date is defined as the following for each of the measures:
  • Cases: by date of symptom onset (when symptoms first began) or when test specimens were collected for people without symptoms
  • Hospitalizations: by date of hospital admission
  • Deaths: by date of death

Presenting data by report date allows for VDH to publish more detailed information, such as data by demographic populations or smaller geographic areas. Presenting data by event date at more detailed levels could potentially identify a person who is a part of a case investigation. It is a fine balance between presenting as much data as possible while also protecting a person’s personal health information.

Rates per 100,000 population is a common calculation used in public health that offers a standardized way to compare the burden of disease across different geographic areas and time. VDH uses population size statistics for each geographic area compiled by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. A rate is calculated by dividing the number of events (e.g. cases or deaths) in a geographic area by the population of that area, and multiplying by 100,000. This rate can then be compared to rates in other areas, regardless of population size.

Earliest Outbreak Report Date (displayed as Date Reported) is the earliest date from among the following: 1) the local health department was notified of the outbreak, 2) VDH central office staff was notified of the outbreak, 3) the date the outbreak investigation began, or 4) the date the outbreak record was created in the Virginia Outbreak Surveillance System.

COVID-19 Case Dashboards are a series of web pages with interactive data dashboards that provide detailed updates about COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This dashboard consists of several web pages that can be accessed by clicking on the buttons at the top of the main web page. Data are updated according to this schedule. All data are preliminary and subject to change.

• Cases
  • Summary: This dashboard presents a summary of the weekly statewide trends for COVID-19 in Virginia. The metrics presented include the following categories and data:
    • Incidence Indicators-understand current trend of disease
      • Percent of COVID-Like Illness emergency department and urgent care visits and number of Reported Cases by Date of Illness; past 6 months
    • Severity Indicators-understand burden of disease
      • Number of COVID-19 Associated Hospital Admissions from HHS Protect and number of COVID-19 Deaths by date of death; past 6 months
    • COVID-19 in Virginia-understand community transmission and who is affected
      • COVID-19 cases by age, sex, and race/ethnicity and average hospital occupancy from HHS Hospital Census data; past 6 months
    • Vaccination-level of immunity in the community
      • Percent of people fully vaccinated and number of people with a booster/additional dose; all time reporting
    • Surveillance of Variants-track changes in the virus that may impact how the disease spreads and responds to treatments or vaccines
      • Variants graph; past 6 months

• • Cases: This dashboard presents the cumulative (total) number of confirmed and probable cases and deaths in Virginia; included are the number of new cases and deaths reported in the past 24 hours, and the 7-day average number of daily new cases and deaths reported. A map and weekly bar chart show counts or rates by 100,00 population for Cases by Date of Illness, Cases by Report Date, and Deaths by Date of Death. The bar chart is available at the city/county, health district, region, and state levels for case data. Death data are not available at the city/county level.
  • Demographics: This dashboard presents demographic data, including age groups, race and ethnicity, and sex for cases and hospital admissions at the health district level.
  • Outbreaks: This dashboard presents data about outbreaks at the health district level and includes data on outbreak-associated cases and outbreaks by facility type (long-term care facilities, correctional facilities, and congregate, healthcare, and educational settings).  This tab also includes state-level case and death counts by outbreak facility type, and a graph that shows the number and facility type of outbreak by the date reported to VDH.

Summary: This dashboard presents vaccine data on the number of vaccines administered (number of doses given to people) with measures for: total doses administered,people fully vaccinated (got one dose of a single-dose vaccine or two doses of a two-dose vaccine), and the percent of the Virginia population fully vaccinated. It also shows the number of people vaccinated with booster doses.

Demographics: This dashboard presents demographic data in counts and rates per 100,000 population on people who are fully vaccinated or have received a monovalent or bivalent booster by age group, race and ethnicity, and sex at the locality level.

COVID-19 Data Insights Dashboards provide more detailed insights into data related to COVID-19 in Virginia. This page currently includes the following dashboards:

• COVID-Like Illness Visits: This dashboard presents data at the state, regional, and health district level on COVID-like illness from emergency departments and urgent care centers in Virginia.  This dashboard also presents state-level data on COVID-like illness hospitalizations.
• UVA COVID-19 Model: This dashboard, in collaboration with the University of Virginia, presents modeling data at the metropolitan area, health district, and locality levels to show the estimated impact of phased reopening and improved testing and contact tracing on the number of COVID-19 cases avoided. This dashboard also displays different scenarios and projections based on data trends, such as if the number of cases remained steady, declined, or surged in Virginia and within local communities.
• Weekly Health District Case Data: This dashboard presents the number of COVID-19 cases by week for each of Virginia’s 35 health districts. The number of COVID-19 cases can be selected by age group, race/ethnicity group, and the percent of cases associated with a congregate setting. A congregate setting is defined as a nursing home, assisted living, multi-care or correctional facility.
• Variants: This dashboard lists the number of COVID-19 infections, hospital admissions, and deaths caused by a variant of concern reported in Virginia. Variants of concern are mutations, or changes, in the virus that causes COVID-19. Variants are identified by additional laboratory testing of specimens positive for COVID-19. Types of variants of concern are presented by the region and by the health district where the person infected by a variant of concern lives. This dashboard also includes demographic information including age group, ethnicity and race, and sex.
• Health Equity: This dashboard compares rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccinations by race and ethnicity to track health disparities. Disparities are differences in health status among populations.