March 7, 2021 marks one year since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Virginia.
A U.S. Marine assigned to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County tested positive for the virus after returning from overseas.
In a tweet, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam expressed hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight as vaccines roll out across the United States.
"One year ago today, Virginia confirmed its first case of COVID-19 at Fort Belvoir," Northam said. "It has been a year filled with much loss, but Virginians have met every challenge with resilience and generosity. And today, we are seeing an ever-brighter light at the end of a long tunnel."
As of March 7, 2021, 585,700 cases of COVID-19 and 9,596 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in Virginia.
Across the country, more than 29 million cases and 524,000 deaths have been reported.