Several states have been seeing an uptick in coronavirus cases this month, but the D.C. region has been spared, at least so far.
Amid fears that Memorial Day weekend gatherings could lead to a new spike in cases, numbers compiled by WTOP show a drop in the seven-day average of new cases in D.C., Maryland and Virginia since the holiday.
The District saw a 38% drop since Memorial Day, while Maryland saw a 36% decrease and Virginia saw a 16% decline.
Though the numbers have been encouraging, Dr. René Najera, an epidemiologist with the Fairfax County Health Department, believes asymptomatic carriers are still a concern.
“So, you might very well have a large segment of the population that has been infected by going out and congregating over Memorial Day, and they just don’t know it,” he said.
Others may be taking longer to show symptoms than the generally accepted 14-day incubation period, he added.
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Though Fairfax County has seen “a flattening of the curve,” Najera said, it’s too soon to say whether the county is seeing a true downward trend.
The effects of recent demonstrations remain to be seen as well.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post has found that since the start of June, 14 states and Puerto Rico have recorded their highest-ever seven-day average of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.
