Arlington Expands Support For Those Impacted By COVID-19

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County is teaming with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to expand support services for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus. This initiative is part of the state's Health Equity Pilot Program.

As part of the program, Arlington Public Schools will be distributing approximately 11,000 health kits students and their families, according to a county release. The kits will include hand sanitizer, reusable face coverings, and multilingual information about COVID-19 support services, such as rent and food assistance.

Arlington County will also be extending hours at its Arlington Mill Community Center testing site. Starting Monday, the site will offer evening hours, from 1-7 p.m., on the second and fourth Monday of each month. In addition, the site will be open the first Saturday of the month from 8 a.m-12 p.m.

“Health equity means everyone has access to the conditions needed for optimal health and well-being. It acknowledges and aims to address systemic barriers to achieving this, including social structures that lead to differences in health outcomes by income, race, gender, educational attainment, sexual orientation, immigration status, and more,” said Dr. Aaron Miller, director of the County Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management, in a release.

The county will also be distributing informational and cloth face covering kits, and conducting one-day testing events.

Virginia Department of Health reported one new death due to COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, Thursday in the Arlington Health District. The last new death was reported on Saturday. The total of COVID-19-related deaths in the Arlington Health District stands at 144.

VDH officials reported eight new coronavirus cases Thursday, which is down from the 23 new cases reported on Wednesday. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 3,687.

To date, there have been 481 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Arlington.

As of Thursday, there have been 130,525 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 2,708 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 10,085 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

VDH reported Thursday that 56,051 COVID-19 tests have been taken in Arlington, with a 4.1 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 1,844,727 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 7.7 percent positivity rate, according to VDH.

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There have been 19 outbreaks in the Arlington Health District as of Thursday, with 1,113 cases related to an outbreak, with two outbreaks at a congregate setting and three outbreaks in health care settings. There have been 207 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health care workers.

Globally, more than 27.9 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 904,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday morning. In the United States, more than 6.3 million people have been infected and over 190,000 people have died from COVID-19.

The department of health breaks down the number of cases and deaths in Arlington by age, race and ethnicity.

The breakdown by age is as follows:

Arlington residents should take the following actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Also see ...

• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 23 More Cases, No New Deaths
• Virginia's Northwest Region Leads In New Coronavirus Cases
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 8 More Cases, No New Deaths
• Virginia Prepares For Vaccination As New Cases Drop Below 1,000
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 18 More Cases, 1 New Death
• VA Colleges Report Coronavirus Spikes; JMU Goes Mostly Virtual