COVID-19 Cases Continue To Decline As Arlington Enters Phase 2

ARLINGTON, VA — It's official. As of Sunday, all of Virginia has entered Phase 2 of the state's COVID-19 vaccination distribution program. At the same time, Virginia Department of Health is reporting a decline in new cases and deaths due to the disease in the Arlington Health District.

VDH confirmed 11 additional cases of COVID-19 on Monday in Arlington. That's the lowest number of new cases in a single day since Oct. 6, when 11 were reported. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Arlington Health District stands at 14,846.

No new deaths connected with COVID-19 were reported Monday in the Arlington Health District, making it 13 days since the last new death was reported there, according VDH. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Arlington remains at 249. To date, 821 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Arlington.

Virginia Department of Emergency Management sent out a wireless alert at 10 a.m., on Monday, informing Virginians that everyone 16 and older was now eligible to schedule a free COVID-19 vaccination appointment.

Shortly before VDEM's alert, Arlington County sent out a series of posts on its official Twitter account explaining what the switch to Phase 2 means for Arlington residents.

"While we are in Phase 2, it may take time for a appointments to become available," one post said. "Virginia is making significant progress, but supply remains limited. Vaccine allocation in Virginia for local health districts is returning to a per capita model, meaning fewer doses for Arlington."

On Friday, Arlington health officials began contacting people who had already pre-registered to be vaccinated in Phase 2, so that they could begin scheduling appointments. Residents who wish to pre-register can do so by visiting http://vaccinate.virginia.gov or calling 877-VAX-IN-VA."

"Pre-registering allows Arlington County Public Health to contact people in the approximate order of pre-registration & helps ensure that people who live and/or work in Arlington receive priority for vaccine appointments," another Twitter post said.

Around 10 a.m. this morning, VDEM will issue a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) message alerting everyone ages 16 and up that they are now eligible to register for COVID-19 vaccine under phase 2. Those with cell phones with emergency alerts turned on will receive the message.
— Arlington County (@ArlingtonVA) April 19, 2021

The positivity rate of COVID-19 testing in the Arlington Health District remains at the lowest level in months. VDH reported that a total of 253,392 COVID-19 tests have been taken in the Arlington, with a 4.1 percent positivity rate.

Arlington's positivity rate has been steadily declining since it peaked at 13.4 percent on Jan. 2. Statewide there have been 8,937,999 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 6.7 percent positivity rate.

As of Monday morning, 135,337 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and 53,189 people have been fully vaccinated in the Arlington Health District, according to Virginia Department of Health data. Statewide, 5,345,314 doses of the vaccine have been administered and 2,137,823 people have been fully vaccinated.

More: Where To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Arlington

There have been 62 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Arlington Health District. There have been 28 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 four at a K-12 facility. The total number of cases associated with an outbreak is 1,046. There have been 344 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health-care workers.

There have been 647,111 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 10,595 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 27,678 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Globally, more than 141.5 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 3 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday morning. In the United States, more than 31.6 million people have been infected and over 567,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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 ...

• 2.1 Million Fully Vaccinated As Virginia Expands Eligibility
• Free COVID-19 Testing Site To Open At Marymount University
• Virginia Tops 2M Fully Vaccinated On Eve Of Expanded Eligibility
• Self-Scheduling COVID-19 Vaccinations Starts Sunday In Virginia
• More Women Vaccinated For COVID-19 Than Men In Virginia