As Delta COVID variant surges, masks required in Fairfax County facilities

The best defense against COVID variants is vaccination. [Fairfax County Government]

Due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, masks will be required in all Fairfax County facilities, beginning Monday, Aug. 9. 

That includes all employees and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.

The Delta variant represents about 83 percent of new COVID infections in the United States. Unvaccinated people represent nearly 97 percent of severe cases.

On Aug. 6, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced a significant increase in the Delta variant throughout the commonwealth. 

“Eighty percent of infections that occurred during the week ending July 10 that were caused by a variant of concern and reported to VDH were the Delta variant,” the VDH reports. “This is an increase of 45 percent since the week of June 19. The more infectious Delta variant is contributing to a surge of cases in Virginia.”

Related story: Fairfax County recommends masks indoors for all, including people fully vaccinated

Currently, a subset of COVID-19 positive specimens is available for the specialized testing that is required to see which variant type they are, the VDH states. The Delta variant has been identified in all of Virginia’s five health regions.

In Fairfax County, the rate of COVID transmission has been upgraded from “moderate” to “substantial.” There were 173 new cases Aug. 6, up from 124 on Aug. 4. 

While the increased caseload is considered due to the Delta variant, the Fairfax County Health Department does not have data on the prevalence of the Delta variant in the county. 

“We don’t know, as not all positive specimens in the district from every healthcare provider/lab are sequenced so we cannot accurately determine a local percentage,” said Health Department spokesperson Lucy Caldwell. 

“The Delta variant is here in Virginia, and it is hitting our unvaccinated population especially hard,” said Virginia Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver. “We have a very effective tool to stop transmission of COVID-19: vaccination. There is no question that COVID-19 vaccination is saving lives and preventing and reducing illness.” Vaccines approved for use in the U.S. are effective against Delta and other variants.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, breakthrough infections affect only a small proportion of fully vaccinated people. These infections tend to be mild, but when vaccinated people become infected with the Delta variant, they can spread the virus to others. 

Visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for information on where to get vaccinated.