Governor Ralph Northam announced yesterday that starting April 18, every Virginian 16 and older will be eligible to register for a COVID-19 vaccine. President Joe Biden also said this week that he expects 90% of American adults will be eligible for the vaccine by April 19.  

The Fairfax County Health Department plans to open registration for Phase 1c early next week and transition to Phase 2 by the governor’s deadline.

This email includes information from the Fairfax Health Department about vaccination locations and information on a FEMA program to provide financial assistance to help cover funeral costs incurred by COVID-19-related deaths. See below for more details.

In addition, this email also has information on several upcoming meetings and events:

Please share this email with your friends and neighbors, and do not hesitate to contact my office if we can be of assistance; email Dranesville@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-356-0551.

Sincerely,

John

As the allocation of COVID-19 vaccines from the Virginia Department of Health continues to increase, the Fairfax County Health Department has been working diligently to ensure that we are administering these vaccines as quickly as possible. One way we are doing that is by partnering with local health care providers to help vaccinate eligible residents.  

At Fairfax County Health Department and partner locations, vaccines will continue to be by appointment only.

When vaccines become available, people who have registered with the Fairfax County Health Department are emailed an invitation and instructions for scheduling an appointment for the first dose at one of the Health Department sites or partner sites. Some partner sites do their own scheduling as described below. 

The steps for scheduling the second dose are based on the location where you received your first dose. If you received your first dose at one of the Fairfax County Health Department clinics, you will receive an email invitation to schedule an appointment 4-7 days before you are due for your second dose (the date on the back of your vaccination record card), which could be scheduled at any of the available clinic sites.  

If you receive a vaccine from one of our partners, you will also receive your second dose from that partner. Some of these partners have their own steps for scheduling second doses. More details about what to expect are available on the Vaccine Partners page.

For more information, visit the Vaccine FAQ page.

If you are invited to schedule with a partner, a dose has been allocated to that provider for you. Therefore, you may be invited to a certain location and not be offered a choice about where to go.

There is currently not an option to choose which vaccine you receive because Fairfax County is primarily using Pfizer for first-dose appointments right now. We encourage everyone to make an appointment as soon as you are invited to do so. The best vaccine is the one that is available to you. All approved vaccines are extremely effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. 

In addition to registering with the Health Department, there are other options for where to get the vaccine. Several local pharmacies are offering vaccines through a partnership with the federal government. And a small number of private health care providers who have met specific criteria for vaccine storage and administration are also offering their patients COVID-19 vaccine. All providers must follow current eligibility requirements. 

No matter where you receive your COVID-19 vaccine, it is free to you. You will not need to pay any out-of-pocket costs, even if you do not have health insurance.  

However, vaccine providers have the option to bill an administrative fee to insurance companies to help defray costs for this service. This is because providing COVID-19 vaccines in a clinic setting is not without cost to the provider. Some vaccination partners have their own electronic medical record system that you may be asked to use in order to ensure the record of your vaccination is transmitted to the Virginia Immunization Information System. 

Beware of scams that charge for appointments and know that state and local agencies do not require a social security number or immigration status.  

Beginning April 12, 2021, residents may apply to FEMA for financial assistance to help cover funeral costs incurred by COVID-19-related deaths. This assistance will be available to all residents (U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens) who incurred expenses after Jan. 20, 2020, for a death attributed to the virus.

In order to be eligible, the COVID-19-related death must have occurred in the United States. Family members or other individuals may apply together to receive funding for a single funeral, and applicants may also apply for multiple deceased individuals. Assistance is limited to a maximum of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application. The assistance received is intended to help with expenses for funeral services and interment or cremation.

In the coming weeks, a dedicated 1-800 number will be established to help individuals who apply. In the meantime, potential applicants are encouraged to start gathering the following documentation:

For more information, visit FEMA’s website.

Join Chairman Jeff McKay and Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, Supervisor Rodney Lusk, for a virtual public input session on the selection of Fairfax County’s next Chief of Police. This is your chance to share the qualities that you would like to see in our next Police Chief, as well as suggest questions that you would like Board Members to ask of candidates during the interview process. 

Channel 16 (Cox Channel 1016; Verizon/Comcast Channel 16)

streamed online or on Facebook

To participate call 703-324-1114 at the time of the program, or submit pre-recorded video testimony to leedist@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services’ Therapeutic Recreation Services is now hiring to fill more than 100 positions for its six-week summer camp program for school-aged youth with varying disabilities. Therapeutic Recreation (TR) Services is hosting a series of eight virtual open hire and information sessions for summer job seekers interested in working as a camp counselor or camp director.

In addition to discussing job duties, answering questions, and interviewing, the session will provide information about COVID-19 precautions and the onboarding process. For more information click here.

The McLean District Station Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be hosting a Community Engagement Meeting on April 8. These meetings enhance communication between residents and the police department of Fairfax County. It offers a chance to dialogue with officers and Command Staff from McLean Station.

or dial in (571) 317-3122, Access Code: 784-787-077#

Featured speaker will be FBI Special Agent Kara Sidener, Private Sector Coordinator (PSC). Learn how the Private Sector Coordinator serves as the primary liaison with local businesses/companies, infrastructure stakeholders, think tanks, and academia in the field office's area of responsibility. PSCs coordinate and de-conflict each field office’s engagement with the private sector, across various industries, and across all FBI programs.

For more information on the Fairfax County Police Community Advisory Committee click here.

Herndon Town Manager William H. Ashton II has proposed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Budget of $ 55,735,783, an 8.7 percent decrease from the adopted FY 2021 Budget. The town’s FY 2022 begins July 1, 2021 and extends to June 30, 2022.

Highlights of the proposed FY 2022 Budget include:

The proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP) calls for funding of longer-term projects such as alignment of Center Street, Elden and Monroe Street intersection improvements, vehicular and pedestrian access to Metro and Van Buren Street improvements. 

The Town Council will hold two public hearings on the budget: Tuesday, April 13, and Tuesday, April 27, both beginning at 7pm. All council meetings are held electronically and available for streaming at www.herndon-va.gov/meetings, where citizens may also register to provide comments to the council; or via Facebook Live. Citizens may also submit comments about the budget online at www.herndon-va.gov/budget or send an email to budget@herndon-va.gov.

The full press release, Facts-at-a-Glance, complete proposed budget and more information is available online at www.herndon-va.gov/budget.

The Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration (DTA) will be hosting Virtual Tax Relief Workshops on Thursday, April 15, 2021, and Thursday, April 22, 2021, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. DTA staff will present information about the real estate and personal property tax relief programs for seniors and people with disabilities. They will also answer general questions about completing the 2021 tax relief application but will not be providing individual consultation during this workshop. 

You do not need to register but Microsoft TEAMS is required to view the presentation. An audio only call-in option will also be available. To join a workshop, please go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/workshops and select the virtual link to participate using Microsoft Teams, or call in using the phone number and conference ID number provided.  

Questions? Email taxrelief@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-8234; TTY 711.

Fairfax County is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. Residents are strongly encouraged to utilize the resources listed below: