Phase 2 Of COVID-19 Vaccinations Coming Soon To Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington Board Chair Matt de Ferranti called President Biden's announcement on Tuesday that all Americans 16 and older would be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by April 19"good news" for all Arlingtonians. He confirmed that the county was stepping up its efforts to meet that goal.

"The state has indicated that it will increase our vaccine supply, which means we're going to be able to work our way through priority lists much more quickly," de Ferranti said, in a video posted to Arlington County's Twitter account. "We're expanding our clinic to handle the new capacity and have a very aggressive schedule planned for the next few weeks."

The Arlington Health District received 16,000 more doses (between first and second) of vaccine this week, according to an Arlington Public Health spokeswoman. That's double the 8,000 weekly doses the state had previously been sending to the county.

In addition, de Ferranti said everyone in the 1a, 1b, and 1c priority groups that has already pre-registered with the county will be notified before Arlington enters Phase 2.

"As we get this supply and keep up this schedule, we should be able to open that Phase 2 eligibility by the week of April 18," de Ferranti said. "That doesn't mean that everyone will be vaccinated in April. When Phase 2 begins, there's going to be a lot of eligible people, so it won't happen overnight. But, it's a big step forward for us in the county's vaccination efforts."

De Ferranti encouraged those who are already eligible to be vaccinated to do so at the Vaccinate Virginia website, or at 1-800-VAX-in-VA. Pre-registration allows the county to provide notification to eligible individuals to make vaccination appointments as more supply becomes available.

Those who have pre-registered but haven't been contacted yet to schedule an appointment should visit the Vaccinate Virginia website to verify that their information is up to date.

"We know this has been a long and difficult road, but we're making real progress," de Ferranti said.

As of Wednesday morning, 99,943 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and 33,600 people have been fully vaccinated in the Arlington Health District, according to Virginia Department of Health data. Statewide, 4,344,970 doses of the vaccine have been administered and 1,604,477 people have been fully vaccinated.

VDH confirmed 26 additional cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday in Arlington, which is down slightly from the 28 new cases reported on Tuesday. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Arlington Health District stands at 14,490.

No new deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in Arlington. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths stands at 249. A total of 810 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 242,537 COVID-19 tests have been taken in the Arlington, with a 5.5 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 8,595,855 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 6.6 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 1,035. There have been 332 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health-care workers.

There have been 629,155 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 10,415 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 26,911 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Globally, more than 132.6 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 2.8 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday morning. In the United States, more than 30.8 million people have been infected and over 556,000 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 ...

• Biden Visits Alexandria Vaccine Site, Sets New Eligibility Date

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

• 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

WATCH: Arlington Board Chair Matt de Ferranti shares an update on Phase 1c and Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination distribution in Virginia, and what it means for Arlington County. pic.twitter.com/Bamc28g48r
— Arlington County (@ArlingtonVA) April 7, 2021