To the Fairfax County Community,
What we saw yesterday at the US Capitol will forever be a dark day in American history. It was an act of violence, terror, and frankly, an attempted coup.
I turned on the news with my 8-year-old in the room, unsure of what to tell him. At his age, I wasn't ready for him to see the same cynicism that many see in our government. Like many, I'm angry, sad, and feel as though I am unable to capture the right words and emotions.
If you missed my statement last night, we deployed a small number of our public safety personnel and opened our emergency operations center to the Virginia State Police. I was relieved to hear that they were safe and I am grateful for their work. We will continue to be in contact with my colleagues across the region in the coming weeks, especially as plans are finalized for the Inauguration.
I assure you, we will not let fear and violence stand in the way of a peaceful transition of power in a democratically sound election. As uncertain as things feel right now, I know we will move past this with new resolve. The long road forged by 2020 might have gotten a little longer, but no matter what, we will get through this because that is who we are.
As I have said before many times, we are lucky to live in a community as great as Fairfax County.
See below for the full January 7 edition of my newsletter. For COVID-19 resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website. If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here. |
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Where Are We:
- Virginia is currently in Phase 1a of the vaccine's rollout. 1a includes: healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents.
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Governor Northam has announced who is in phases 1b and 1c and that it will begin soon.
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Phase 1b: Frontline essential workers, persons aged 75 or over, and people living in correctional facilities and homeless shelters. This also includes but is not limited to:
- First responders
- Childcare/K-12 teachers/staff
- Corrections and homeless shelter workers
- Grocery store workers
- Public transit workers
- Mail carriers (USPS and private)
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Phase 1c: Essential workers not in 1b, people aged 65-74, and people aged 16-64 with a high risk medical condition or disability. This also includes but is not limited to:
- Utility workers
- Construction workers
- Food service
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This information can also be found here.
- The Fairfax County Health Department began vaccinating non-hospital affiliated healthcare workers on December 23 and as of January 6 had vaccinated almost 9,700 people of 12,000 doses. This number does not include vaccinations at INOVA or at long-term care facilities.
- We have received an additional 12,000 dose shipment and expect to continue to distribute the vaccine quickly and efficiently.
- You can see statewide vaccination numbers here.
Where to Get Vaccinated:
- For the general public, you will be able to get the vaccine, wherever you normally receive your flu shot.
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Once a vaccine is more widely available, residents will be encouraged to use Vaccine Finder to see which doctors are providing the vaccine in the community.
- Vaccines will be available at hospitals, public health facilities, private practices, pharmacies, urgent care centers, and safety net providers.
Long-Term Care Facility Vaccinations
- Vaccinations at long-term care facilities began in Virginia on December 28.
- Vaccinations are part of the CDC's federal LTCF Pharmacy Partnership Program and will be distributed by CVS and Walgreens.
- Part B of the CDC’s Federal LTCF Pharmacy Partnership provides for vaccination in assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, personal care homes, residential care, adult family homes, adult foster homes, intellectual or developmental disabilities, HUD 202, and Veteran's homes. On December 31, VDH notified CDC that it was activating Part B of the contract as of January 4 and allocated Pfizer vaccine doses for that purpose. CVS and Walgreens will begin to contact facilities to schedule clinics. VDH anticipates that vaccination will begin in mid-January in facilities covered by Part B.
Vaccine Resources:
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Our case data remains high. We need everyone to stay vigilant - wear a mask, wash your hands, and social distance. |
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Percent Positivity
- For the week of December 20, the percent positivity rate was 12.15%.
- According to the Virginia Department of Health, the most recent 7-day moving average percent positivity is 14.8%.
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Hospitalizations
- Since late October, hospitalizations for COVID-related illness have been steadily increasing.
- The 7-day rolling average remains below historical high levels.
Contact Tracing
- As of January 5, 424 of 491 contract COVID response staff are active.
- For the week of December 13, Fairfax County contact tracers were able to reach 68.7% of cases and 88% of their contacts.
- Among reached cases, 79% were interviewed within one day and among reached contacts, 94% were interviewed within one day.
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Our local Connection Newspapers need your help - the pandemic has put them at risk. Support one of America's oldest papers by donating to their GoFundMe here.
- We need the community's input as we look for a new Chief of Police. Residents and businesses can fill out our survey until Jan. 8. More information can be found here.
- Hypothermia Shelters: If you see someone who is unsheltered and you think they are at risk of hypothermia, call the County’s non-emergency police phone number: 703-691-2131.
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Common Health Questions:
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People with COVID-19 have a wide range of symptoms reported - ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. You might experience:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
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Continue to follow the health guidelines:
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer if that isn't an option (especially when in public places)
- Cough and sneeze into your sleeve
- Don't touch your face
- Social distance
- What it means to social distance, self-isolate, and quarantine.
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The CDC recommends wearing non-medical masks to slow the spread of COVID-19. It is now required in Virginia.
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The New York Times (access to COVID-19 content is free) speaks with infectious disease experts, aerosol scientists, and microbiologists to find out if COVID-19 can land on your clothing, hair, shoes, and mail.
Resources:
- Fairfax County Health Department
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Fairfax County's data dashboard is here and the Virginia Department of Health's is here.
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Visit the County site on COVID-19, Health Department Website, and see their FAQs.
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To view multilingual health materials visit the County's Language Portal.
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Sign up for text message alerts: text FFXCOVID to 888777. Para inscribirse, textear FFXCOVIDESP a 888777.
- Call the Health Department from 9am-7pm weekdays and 9:30am-5pm on weekends: 703-267-3511
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Email: [email protected]. This account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8am-8pm.
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Inova has a helpful FAQ.
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We recognize that we are in very trying times, but I hope you see in these newsletters that positive change has occurred over the last several months.
As I often say, we are truly lucky to live in Fairfax County where we have the resources to overcome challenges and a community who rises to the occasion.
Jeffrey C. McKay
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