COVID-19 | FFXnow

Morning Notes

Published March 30, 2022 at 7:30AM | Updated March 30, 2022 at 8:47AM

Jefferson Manor Park off Telegraph Road near Belle Haven (staff photo by Brandi Bottalico)

County Libraries to Resume Standard Hours — Fairfax County Public Library will once again open its eight regional branches seven days a week, and its 14 community branches on Mondays, effective this Sunday (April 3). The system truncated its hours starting in January due to the surge in COVID-19 cases and high staff vacancies. [FCPL]

Omicron Subvariant Identified in Fairfax County Patients — “BA.2 is now estimated to be responsible for about one in three COVID-19 infections in the country and one in five COVID-19 infections in Virginia. While BA.2 appears to be more contagious and can spread faster, it is not known to make people sicker.” [Fairfax County Health Department]

Countywide

Fairfax County’s Covid case levels, vaccine demand stay low

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 28, 2022 at 1:30PM | Updated March 28, 2022 at 2:03PM

Fairfax Health District COVID-19 cases over the past 26 weeks, as of March 28, 2022 (via VDH)

Fairfax County saw a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases this past week, but the overall level of community transmission remains low.

After seeing mostly double-digit daily caseloads during the previous week, the Fairfax Health District — including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church — reported 157 new cases on Wednesday (March 23), 154 cases on Friday (March 25), and a total of 249 cases over the weekend, including 75 new cases today (Monday).

Countywide

Fairfax County’s Covid case decline nears pre-delta variant levels

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 21, 2022 at 1:30PM

The Fairfax County Government Center's COVID-19 vaccine clinic (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

About eight months after the delta variant revived face masks, Fairfax County’s COVID-19 case rate has dropped back into double digits.

With 53 new cases today (Monday), the Fairfax Health District, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, is now averaging 87 cases reported a day for the past week — its lowest seven-day average since Aug. 1, 2021, when it was seeing 86 cases per day.

Countywide

Mass Covid vaccine sites in Tysons and Springfield to close this week

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 21, 2022 at 11:15AM

The Tysons Community Vaccination Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Virginia and Fairfax County health departments are shutting down two COVID-19 vaccination sites that have delivered thousands of shots during the pandemic.

The Tysons Community Vaccination Center will close at 4 p.m. on Friday (March 25) after administering roughly 58,000 doses since it reopened in Tysons Corner Center’s former Lord & Taylor store on Oct. 8, the Fairfax County Health Department announced today (Monday).

Countywide

Covid transmission returns to mid-November levels in Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2022 at 1:30PM

All Fairfax Health District COVID-19 cases by date of illness, as of March 14, 2022 (via VDH)

The Fairfax Health District continues to report declining COVID-19 case levels.

The district, which includes Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, added 60 new cases today (Monday), bringing its total for the pandemic up to 178,109 cases. There have been 4,442 hospitalizations and 1,470 deaths due to the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Countywide

Fairfax County sees uptick in Covid hospitalizations, but cases stay low

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 7, 2022 at 1:30PM | Updated March 7, 2022 at 3:21PM

Fairfax County COVID-19 hospitalizations in the past 90 days, as of March 7, 2022 (via VDH)

(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) For the first time since November, Fairfax County has added fewer than 100 new COVID-19 cases on two consecutive days.

There were 51 new cases reported today (Monday) in the Fairfax Health District, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. The 45 cases added yesterday represented the fewest daily cases since Nov. 16, when only eight new cases came in, according to Virginia Department of Health data.

Countywide

County allocates $5M of Covid funds to Capital Area Food Bank expansion

By Brandi Bottalico

Published March 1, 2022 at 3:00PM | Updated March 1, 2022 at 3:39PM

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will allocate $5 million toward the expansion of the Capital Area Food Bank facility in Newington (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted last week to allocate $5 million of coronavirus recovery funding to the Capital Area Food Bank to expand its Newington warehouse due to increased need.

The project to build a 45,000-square-foot facility is expected to cost $35 million and take two years to complete. CAFB also sought funding from other private partners and the Northern Virginia local governments and communities they serve. Fairfax County is the first to make a formal announcement of funding, CAFB spokeswoman Hilary Salmon told FFXnow.

Countywide

With Covid transmission now ‘low,’ Fairfax County drops mask mandate

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 28, 2022 at 3:00PM

A sign indicating that a face mask should be worn (via Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash)

For the first time since early August, face masks are no longer required for staff or visitors inside most Fairfax County facilities.

County Executive Bryan Hill shared the news in an email to all local government workers yesterday (Sunday) after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced new metrics for measuring community COVID-19 transmission levels on Friday (Feb. 25).

Countywide

Morning Notes

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 28, 2022 at 7:30AM

Angelika Film Center and Cafe in the Mosaic District (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

FCPS Will Start COVID-19 Rollback Plan Tomorrow — Masks will be optional for both students and adults, including staff and parents, in Fairfax County Public Schools after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its health metrics so that the county is now considered to have low transmission. FCPS said on Friday (Feb. 25) that masks would be optional for students, as ordered by a state law, but still mandatory for adults. [FCPS]

Judge Calls TJ Admissions Discriminatory — The Coalition for TJ on Friday (Feb. 25) won its lawsuit against the Fairfax County School Board over changes to admissions process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The judge found that the shift from a standardized test to “experience” factors was done in a way discriminatory to Asian applicants. The school system intends to appeal. [The Washington Post]

Countywide

JUST IN: Masks will be optional for FCPS students starting Tuesday

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2022 at 12:00PM

Irving Middle School students wear face masks in class (via FCPS)

Fairfax County Public Schools will comply with the new Virginia law prohibiting local school boards from enforcing universal mask requirements.

Face masks will be optional on school property for students starting Tuesday (March 1), Superintendent Scott Brabrand confirmed today (Friday) in a message to families.