Fairfax County COVID deaths exceed 1,000

It’s been one year since the first positive case of COVID-19 in Virginia, and Fairfax County has reached a grim milestone. 

There is good news, too. The number of new cases is declining and the number of vaccinated people continues to grow.

The seven-day average of new cases is down significantly from mid-January but hasn’t declined to the levels seen in the fall before the weather turned cold. The percentage of positive cases is also declining.

Fairfax County expects to receive a higher number of vaccine doses throughout March, as Virginia’s supply will increase.

“We are quickly moving to a scenario where supply is going to be here in a really significant way,” said Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s vaccine coordinator, in a recent teleconference.

As of March 7, the Fairfax County Health Department has vaccinated 18,959 people, and 109,520 people are still on the waitlist.

Fairfax County along with the rest of the state is still working through group 1b on the waitlist for vaccination appointments.

That group includes the 65+ population, people with medical conditions that put them at risk for severe illness, and frontline essential workers.

There are 11 categories of essential workers, but only some people on that list (public safety, corrections, and homeless shelter workers and childcare and school staff) are eligible to be vaccinated now.

Virginia has recently added two new categories to 1b: clergy/faith leaders and janitorial/cleaning staff. They are not yet eligible to register but will be before group 1c is invited to register.

Some employees are eligible because of where they work, rather than their job description. For example, some clergy and cleaning staff might be eligible now if they work in a hospital or school.