Arlington Steps Up COVID-19 Vaccinations As It Gets More Doses

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington has requested more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the state, so that it can meet Gov. Ralph Northam's goal of having all Virginians eligible to receive the vaccine by Sunday, April. 18.

This week, the Arlington Health District received 16,000 more doses (between first and second) of vaccine, according to a Arlington Public Health spokeswoman. That's double the 8,000 weekly doses the state was sending the health district previously. Arlington health officials have requested similar amounts for the next few weeks so that the county can meet the governor's Phase 2 guidelines.

Currently, Arlington is vaccinating people in the Phase 1b priority group and pre-registering people in the Phase 1c group. Residents can pre-register at the Vaccinate Virginia website, or at 1-800-VAX-in-VA. Preregistration allows the county to provide notification to eligible individuals to make vaccination appointments as supply becomes available.

As of Tuesday morning, 98,444 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and 33,201 people have been fully vaccinated in the Arlington Health District, according to Virginia Department of Health data. Statewide, 4,227,076 doses of the vaccine have been administered and 1,571,239 people have been fully vaccinated.

VDH confirmed 28 additional cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday in Arlington, which is up slightly from the 24 new cases reported on Monday. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Arlington Health District stands at 14,464.

Two new deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in Arlington. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths stands at 249. A total of 809 people have been hospitalized in Arlington due to COVID-19.

The positivity rate of COVID-19 testing in the Arlington Health District has been steadily declining since it peaked at 13.4 percent on Jan. 2. VDH reported that 241,722 COVID-19 tests have been taken in the Arlington, with a 5.6 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 8,564,254 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 6.7 percent positivity rate.

More: COVID-19 Vaccinations In Arlington: Need To Know

There have been 60 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Arlington Health District. There have been 27 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, 18 in a congregate setting, one at a correctional facility, four in health care settings, six at a child care facilities, one at a college or a university, and three at a K-12 facility. The total number of cases associated with an outbreak is 1,036. There have been 330 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health-care workers.

There have been 627,605 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 10,4o1 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 26,815 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Globally, more than 132 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 2.8 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Tuesday morning. In the United States, more than 30.7 million people have been infected and over 555,000 people have died from COVID-19.

VDH 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.

For more information on coronavirus vaccines in Virginia, see the Virginia Patch COVID-19 vaccination page and link to it: https://patch.com/virginia/across-va/topics/virginia-covid-19-vaccine-information-hub

Also see ...

• COVID-19 Vaccinations In Arlington: Need To Know
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 1 New Death; 24 Additional Cases
• Virginia's Coronavirus Response Ranks Just Outside Top 10: Index
• Arlington Remains In Phase 1b Of COVID-19 Vaccinations
• All Giant Pharmacy Locations In NoVA Offer COVID-19 Vaccine
• Arlington Remains In Phase 1b Of COVID-19 Vaccinations