To the Fairfax County Community,
Today, the CDC, the FDA, and VDH recommended pausing all Johnson & Johnson vaccinations because of the occurrence of a potentially rare side effect. As a result, Fairfax County will not be administering J&J vaccines until further notice.
While this is concerning for nationwide vaccination efforts, as I know many states and localities were dependent on vaccine, this will not impact Fairfax County vaccine appointments. This is because we were already experiencing a shortage of J&J vaccine doses due in part to a nationwide shortage. No new shipments of this particular vaccine were scheduled for the next few weeks.
If you have received the J&J vaccine and have developed a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks of vaccination, you should contact your healthcare provider.
In addition, today was the first of three days of public hearings on the FY2022 budget (see the below timeline). You still have time to review the budget and testify in front of the Board. Learn how to testify here.
The agenda for today's Board meeting is available for your review here.
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.
|
|
What happened? The Board approved a letter to the Commonwealth with our endorsement of the I-495 Northern Extension Express Lanes (I-495 NEXT) project. The project extends express lanes on 495 for 1.6 miles from the Dulles Toll Road to the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Why? It is critical that we keep making progress to address the gridlock around Tysons, not just today but as future growth comes. This project also supports our multi-modal transportation efforts by providing transit funding and designating a bike path. These Express Lanes will serve to address neighborhood cut through as well. However, the gridlock this project targets can only be significantly resolved when Maryland addresses the American Legion Bridge. This a regional effort and will require the continued engagement of state and federal partners moving forward.
Learn more about the project here. |
|
Budget Consideration Items |
|
What happened? Following my Board Matters, the Board voted to add two items for consideration to be included in the FY21 Third Quarter Review.
-
$300,000 for Green Banks: Green banks offer invaluable funding to environmentally-focused businesses that have historically struggled to find capital through traditional means. Having this financing tool on hand will allow us to ensure our economic recovery is targeted to communities with the most need in both an equitable and sustainable manner. This project could be crucial for building community resiliency alongside other COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.
-
$100,000 for a Zero Waste Plan: County staff has reviewed our Joint Environmental Task Force recommendations and agrees that with the right planning, zero waste is obtainable in our government and schools by 2030. To meet these goals, we need to take prompt action. The County's Zero Waste Planning Team has already developed a plan to be finalized by June 30. It is expected that the total cost of this project will be $100,000 to develop.
|
|
River Farm? River Farm is a 27-acre historic property once owned by George Washington. The property has a rich cultural history. The American Horticultural Society bought the property in 1973 stipulating that it must be protected and remain open to the public. Unfortunately, AHS put the property on the market last year with no guarantee for preservation.
What happened? The Board voted today to designate River Farm as a Historic Overlay District. This designation is a way for the County to protect the property from development and ensure that the historic and natural resources are available for future generations.
|
|
What happened? Following a public hearing, the Board voted to transfer ownership of Blake Lane Park to the Fairfax County Park Authority.
Why? After much community engagement the Board decided to preserve Blake Lane Park as open green space. This site was initially on a list to be the location of a new elementary school. The School Board just approved a proposal to ease overcrowding in the Tysons/Falls Church/Dunn Loring area by repurposing Dunn Loring Administration Center as a new elementary school.
|
|
Vaccine Resources:
Common Health Questions:
- 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
- Follow mitigation practices:
- 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
-
Wear a mask (Which is required in Virginia.)
- What it means to social distance, self-isolate, and quarantine.
- If interacting with others outside of your household, being outside is safer than inside. You can make your home safer by increasing ventilation and filtration.
-
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.
COVID-19 Resources:
- Fairfax County Health Department
- To view the number of cases in Fairfax County this page is updated at noon daily.
- Visit the County site on COVID-19, Health Department Website, and see their FAQs.
- To view multilingual health materials visit the County's Language Portal.
- 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
- Email: ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8am-8pm.
- Inova has a helpful FAQ.
|
|
|
|
|
Contact my Office
chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov
| 703.324.2321 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
