health | FFXnow

Morning Notes

Published May 19, 2022 at 7:30AM

Construction at Reston Station during a recent sunset (photo by Wil Villatoro-Reyes)

Fairfax County Man Dies in Alexandria Jail — “Alexandria law enforcement is investigating the death of Anthony Mouf, a 25-year-old Fairfax County man in Alexandria’s William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center. According to a city release, Mouf was found suffering from an apparent medical emergency alone in his cell in the jail’s booking area.” [ALXnow]

Fort Belvoir Housing Contractors Hit with Lawsuit — “After bouncing around houses near Fort Belvoir, pleading with Michaels for repairs and remediation and asking officials on the base for help, Roman filed a lawsuit on March 16 of this year, alleging the owner and manager of thousands of housing units on the base allowed safety hazards and other substandard conditions to persist for years.” [Bisnow]

Countywide

JUST IN: Child with measles may have exposed people at Inova Fairfax Hospital

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 18, 2022 at 3:00PM

Inova Fairfax Hospital (via Google Maps)

People who were at Inova Fairfax Hospital’s emergency department earlier this week may have been exposed to measles, the Virginia Department of Health reported today (Wednesday).

According to VDH, an unvaccinated child who contracted measles while traveling abroad had visited the hospital at 3300 Gallows Road during the following times:

Countywide

Spring COVID-19 surge continues in Fairfax County, as U.S. death toll hits 1 million

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 16, 2022 at 3:00PM

The flags at the Fairfax County Government Center flags are at half mast in honor of the 1 million Americans killed by COVID-19 so far (via Fairfax County Government/Twitter

The Fairfax Health District could potentially reach 200,000 COVID-19 cases by the end of May, if the ongoing surge in transmission continues at its current rate.

The district, which includes Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, reported another 408 cases today (Monday), bumping its total for the pandemic up to 193,824 cases.

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Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published May 16, 2022 at 7:30AM

Tysons Tales pop-up park outside The Boro (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Board Chair “Saddened” by Buffalo Mass Shooting — “I am both saddened and angered over the senseless loss of life that took place in Buffalo, NY. The racial hate that reportedly motivated this horrific attack is inexcusable. I am keeping the victims and their families in my prayers.” [Jeff McKay/Twitter]

Nearly Half of Metrorail Operators Lapse Recertification — “Metro management is taking immediate corrective action to remove from service 72 train operators who became out of compliance prior to May 2021. This will result in a temporary reduction in Green and Yellow line service from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes due to an operator shortage…Service impacts are expected to continue until the end of May.” [WMATA]

Countywide

Fairfax County’s COVID-19 hospital admissions went up by half last week

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 9, 2022 at 1:30PM | Updated May 16, 2022 at 2:26PM

Fairfax County has seen a 54.2% increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions over the previous week, as of Friday, May 6 (via CDC)

(Updated on 5/16/2022) Hospitalizations for COVID-19 remain low in Fairfax County, but they have started to climb in recent weeks as the latest surge in the disease continues.

An estimated 52 new residents were admitted to a hospital with COVID-19 last week through Friday (May 6), a 54.2% increase from the previous seven days, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published May 3, 2022 at 7:30AM

Construction cranes at Reston Station (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fairfax Resident Faces Prison for Unruly Airplane Behavior — “Last week, Kameron C. Stone, 30, of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to one year in federal prison for interfering with flight crew and assault by striking and wounding in special aircraft jurisdiction after pleading guilty on February 8, 2022.” [Department of Justice]

Vienna Crash Leads to Power Outage and Evacuations — “According to a Town of Vienna alert, a traffic crash resulted in live, downed wires in the area of Cottage and Elm Streets. Homes on Elm Street from Cottage to Plum Streets and Cottage Street from Cherry to Battle Streets were evacuated due to the potential for fire, according to the town.” [Patch]

Countywide

Masks still encouraged on Fairfax Connector amid rising Covid cases in community

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 27, 2022 at 9:00AM | Updated April 27, 2022 at 9:26AM

Fairfax Connector buses in Reston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fairfax Connector has not formally rescinded its requirement that all passengers wear face masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

However, a court ruling that struck down federal mandates last week means that the public bus service can no longer enforce its policy, which relied on a now-halted directive from the Transportation Security Administration.

Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published April 26, 2022 at 7:30AM

At the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial in Lorton's Occoquan Regional Park (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

SCOTUS Lets TJ Admissions Policy Stay During Appeal — With three justices dissenting, the Supreme Court denied the Coalition for TJ’s request to block the new admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The denial will let Fairfax County Public Schools use the policy to evaluate the incoming Class of 2026, as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond considers the case. FCPS says the appeals court has approved its request for “an expedited schedule to resolve the legal issues involved in the admissions process.” [SCOTUSblog/Twitter, FCPS]

No Injuries in Turnpike Shopping Center Crash — The driver of a sedan that crashed into an empty storefront next to Kokee Tea in the Fairfax City shopping center on Saturday (April 23) survived unharmed, city officials said yesterday (Monday). Damages to the building at 9668 Main Street are estimated to be between $20,000 and $30,000. [City of Fairfax Fire Department, Patch]

Countywide

Covid cases in Fairfax County rise to mid-February levels

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 25, 2022 at 1:30PM

Based on case and testing positivity numbers, Fairfax County is seeing "high" COVID-19 community transmission, as of April 25, 2022 (via CDC)

Officially, Fairfax County’s COVID-19 community level remains low, but when the county last saw this many cases, Fairfax County Public Schools was still fighting to keep masks in place.

The Fairfax Health District, which also includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, is now averaging 270 cases a day for the past week — the highest seven-day average since Feb. 13 (274 cases) — after adding more than 300 cases each on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (April 21-23).

Countywide

New wellness center for older adults opens, providing free services

By David Taube

Published April 20, 2022 at 12:45PM

Wellness Center for Older Adults (courtesy ServiceSource)

A unique facility giving an array of services for older adults has opened at Braddock Glen.

The Wellness Center for Older Adults offers in-person and virtual services for people 50 and older as well as individuals with disabilities, similar to 14 other senior centers in Fairfax County. It offers exercise equipment; music, dance and art therapy; preventative health screenings; and other free resources, including access to computers.