School-based COVID-19 vaccination clinics for elementary school-aged children could be set up as soon as mid-November, Fairfax County Public Schools officials say.
As reported to the Fairfax County School Board at a work session yesterday (Tuesday), these targeted vaccination clinics will be available in evenings or weekends and have a parent or guardian present.
FCPS is also working with the Fairfax County Health Department to provide vaccination clinics during the school day that would require advance parental consent for students to participate. Those clinics are expected to be available after winter break, officials said.
With COVID-19 vaccine eligibility potentially expanding to children aged 5-11 in early November, FCPS is currently developing plans for providing testing and vaccinations to students.
Most families who responded to an FCPS survey of their vaccination plans intend to get the vaccine for their young children, according to results that school officials shared with the school board.
Of the 85,302 surveys sent to parents and guardians of children who will be in the 5-11 age range on Nov. 1, 35,801 (36%) were returned with responses. The survey was designed to determine what supports, if any, families need to access vaccinations for their children.
Survey results indicated that 76% of parents or guardians plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine for their child, with 80% of that group planning to do so as soon as it’s available. 12% of those surveyed are undecided, and 10% do not plan to get their child vaccinated.
According to Superintendent Scott Brabrand, “common reasons” cited for not getting vaccinated include “personal beliefs” regarding vaccinations, followed by the vaccines’ emergency-use authorization status. So far, federal health officials have only officially approved the Pfizer vaccine for individuals 16 and older.
The survey also revealed an even split on the challenges of obtaining a vaccination appointment, with 45% indicating that wait times have been a challenge and 44% indicating there were no challenges.
49% of those surveyed would not let their child get vaccinated during the school day without a parent or guardian present, while 35% would consider that possibility.
FCPS Department of Special Services Assistant Superintendent Michelle Boyd emphasized that, on top of the information provided by the surveys, officials will look at data on community transmission, vaccination rates, and other factors to guide their plans.
“We’re also using that health data to inform what might be the best locations and also taking into consideration what local vaccination opportunities are available in close proximity so that we can make sure that we’re building those bridges for folks who don’t have readily available resources that are within accessible distance,” Boyd said.
While FCPS has not mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for students, except those involved in athletics and some other extracurricular activities, school officials have strongly encouraged them for those who are eligible and are developing a plan for providing testing and vaccinations.
In addition to the school-based clinics, vaccinations will be made available through mass vaccine sites at the Government Center, South County Government Center, and Tysons Community Vaccination Center.
FCPS says it will provide transportation support for families to mass vaccination clinics, along with supervision and emotional support for students at clinics that take place during the school day.
Inova will provide pediatric vaccination clinics at the Inova Center for Personalized Health and Inova Cares Clinic for Children & Families. The nonprofit health system will also have informational packets and videos on vaccination available for families in multiple languages.
COVID-19 vaccinations for children are also expected to be available at many community sites, including medical homes, local pharmacies, and local health department offices. 80% of the 20 practices that the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics identified in the county as serving children plan to vaccinate in some capacity, according to FCPS.
FCPS will also offer optional screening testing starting next month to “promptly identify and isolate cases and quarantine those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 who are not fully vaccinated,” according to Boyd.
The optional screening testing for students who aren’t fully vaccinated will start with elementary students during the week of Nov. 8 before rolling out to middle and high school students the week of Nov. 15.
FCPS has partnered with third-party vendor Longview International Technology Solutions (LTS) to conduct the screenings.
All student testing will require parental consent. Parents and guardians will receive a link to register their child for testing, if they wish to do so.
While participation is optional for most students, it will be required for student athletes who are not fully vaccinated beginning the week of Nov. 1. Student athletes aged 12 to 15 will be tested every week, as will all student athletes 16 and older with a medical or religious waiver.
If a student athlete that is not fully vaccinated fails to participate in a weekly screening testing, they will be ineligible for participation in future activities until they provide a negative test result.
FCPS confirmed that its vaccination mandate for employees will take effect on Nov. 1. Staff that have not provided documentation of being fully vaccinated by then will be tested weekly.
According to a survey of FCPS staff, 97% of respondents said they are fully vaccinated. 92% of contracted employees responded to the survey. Those who have not responded will be included in the weekly testing, alongside those who are not fully vaccinated.
Brabrand said FCPS will continue to follow its 14-day quarantine guidance at this time, but will revisit the quarantine length in consultation with public health experts after a vaccine becomes available for children ages 5-11.
“Our plan to ensure the continuity of safe in-person learning is working, and it is my intention and that of our leadership team, working with our health partners, to continue to follow our public health guidance,” Brabrand said.
The developer of a 300-unit apartment building near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station and along Hidden Creek Country Club plans to scale back parking at the site.
Golf Course Overlook LLC plans to reduce the amount of parking for the apartment building planned on the site by roughly 16 percent or 51 spaces.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the request by the developer at a meeting on Monday. The property is located on the west edge of Isaac Newton Square and next to Hidden Creek Country Club.
In a memo, staff noted that the special exception to reduce parking was justified because the property is within one-third of a mile of the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.
“The expectation is that residents adjacent to public transportation will require less parking,” the memo states. “While residents may not give up vehicle ownership entirely, they are more likely to own less vehicles than residents in lower-density areas not well served by transit, thereby reducing parking demand.”
According to plans submitted to the county, 215 of the units have one bedroom while the remaining units have two bedrooms.
The developer plans to reduce the number of residential parking units from 407 to 356. The county first approved the rezoning of the property in September 2019.
Roughly 3,4000 square feet of commercial space is also planned on the site, along with the nine-story apartment building. Commercial parking will be unaffected by the proposed change.
All of Golf Course Plaza’s tenants have vacated and the developer plans to begin demolition this year, Reston Now previously reported.
Herndon is moving toward examining mixed-use possibilities near the pending Herndon Metro station and expects to use money from private landowners to “study” the area.
Under the agreement, certain property owners would pay the town up to $500,000 for planning consultant services for preparation of a Transit-Related Growth Area Plan, which the town has studied previously.
The new development area, within 1/4 to 1/2 miles of the Metro station, would cover area mostly north of Herndon Parkway from Haley M. Smith Park and also extend southeast of Herndon Parkway to the Fairfax County Parkway.
Two different property owners approached the town and proposed ideas for funding the hiring of consultants to create the plan, deputy attorney Lauri Sigler said yesterday during a town council work session.
According to the town:
The Town Manager received a letter dated May 5, 2021, in which Herndon Van Buren LLC and Herndon Hotel Ownership LLC, who are owners of several properties located in the Transit-Related Growth (“TRG”) Area, made a proposal to the Town where the property owners would provide the funding for the Town to hire a planning consultant for the preparation of a TRG Small Area Plan. The Town was also approached by an owner of additional properties, MBC Property Owners LLC, who is also interested in contributing funds for this effort.
The town would hire a consultant or consultants through a request for proposals and contract directly with the consultants, Sigler said.
The town asked for proposals on Oct. 12, and they’re due Nov. 12. “According to the terms of the agreement,” the town must select the consultant no later than Jan. 31, Sigler said.
The town plans to appoint a seven-member advisory committee, consisting of two of those property owners funding the effort, two planning commissioners, a town planning staff member and two Town of Herndon residents.
Town manager Bill Ashton said the town would get varying points of view in advising how the project develops.
He said the advisory group is only advising on the “mechanics of how this is going to unfold” and added that the request for proposals identifies a “lot of collaboration … that’s going to be expected out of the consultant to collaborate with neighbors.”
“This advisory committee … will act as almost as a liaison with the consultant,” Sigler said. “They don’t have any, um, real voting rights to make final decisions, but they will help guide the consultant through the long planning process.”
The property owners would make the half million dollar payment in four installments, which would pay the consultant in phases. The plan is slated to take 18 months.
“Them paying the fee, does that create any sort of conflict of interest?” town council member Pradip Dhakal said.
Ashton said he’s very cognizant of the ethical ramifications of things like this. He said it’s an arm’s length transaction.
“They’re paying it,” he said. “We’re managing it.”
The town is slated to go before the town council for approval on Tuesday on its consent agenda, meaning there won’t be as much discussion than a regular board item.
Town Mayor Sheila Olem noted that it “doesn’t etch us in stone on anything.”
For the first time in decades, Fairfax County workers have collective bargaining powers.
The county Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance 9-1 yesterday (Tuesday) allowing unions to negotiate for pay, benefits, working conditions, scheduling, and more. The lone opposing vote came from Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik called it a historic day, marking the first time in 44 years that collective bargaining is allowed for county government workers.
Collective bargaining will improve the county’s ability to retain employees and result in better services for the community, Chairman Jeff McKay said after the vote.
If you care about the services that FFX provides, including health, fire, police, libraries, parks, transit, & human services, you have a stake in collective bargaining. CB will improve our employee retention& make our services better. I was proud to vote to adopt this ordinance.
— Jeff McKay (@JeffreyCMcKay) October 19, 2021
“Approving this ordinance allows us to go to the next step to work on and establish a collective bargaining agreement, something that I know our employees have been asking for for a very long time,” McKay said.
Virginia had banned collective bargaining for government workers since the state Supreme Court ruled against the practice in 1977.
That changed last year when the General Assembly passed legislation giving local governments the option to create ordinances recognizing their employees’ labor unions and allowing collective bargaining for public workers.
The ordinance doesn’t affect the county’s 24,000-plus public school employees. The school board would have to adopt its own collective bargaining ordinance for Fairfax County Public Schools. But the ordinance could act as a model for other local governments and the county’s school board.
The new state law and Fairfax County’s ordinance still restrict workers’ ability to strike. If government employees do so, they will be fired and prohibited from working for a governmental body in Virginia for one year.
In response to the state law, Fairfax County created a collective bargaining workgroup on Sept. 29, 2020 that included elected officials, employee group representatives, and county government and school staff.
The board’s personnel committee received its first draft of the ordinance on May 25 and spent the summer working to refine it. The board held a public hearing on Oct. 5 but deferred a vote on the matter to its next regular meeting.
David Broder, president of SEIU Virginia 512, which represents over 2,000 Fairfax County general government workers, celebrated the vote as a historic victory achieved after years of advocacy.
The door to a Fairfax that works for everyone opens wider tonight as workers win a real seat at the bargaining table. We’re going to keep fighting, throw that door wide open, and ensure that every Virginian has the right to join a union and collectively bargain (2/6)
— David Broder (@Broder512) October 19, 2021
“Our union is thrilled to usher in a new era where employees and management collaborate to solve workplace issues, where workers have a real voice to improve their pay, benefits, and working conditions, and where every constituent in this community gets the quality public services we all deserve,” Tammie Wondong, president of SEIU Virginia 512’s Fairfax chapter, said in a statement. “Together, and with meaningful collective bargaining rights, we will transform Fairfax into a place where every working family can thrive.”
Other unions for groups ranging from firefighters and police to public works employees had advocated changes to the ordinance, including at this month’s public hearing.
Since then, the county made several changes to the proposed ordinance, such as having a labor relations administrator who assists with certifying elections and other matters be nominated by unions with 300 or more dues-paying members.
The administrator will be appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors.
The approved ordinance also extends collective bargaining abilities to more temporary employees than previously proposed. Rather than issuing a blanket exclusion, the ordinance only bans workers from participating if they’re employed by the county for four consecutive months or less.
In a move to appease unions, the ordinance will also allow employees to use county electronic systems to communicate employee organizing activities and other matters.
Another revision clarifies that the county would “at all times retain exclusive rights to establish the County budget and any tax levies,” where changes are in the sole and unfettered discretion of the board of supervisors.
But David Lyons, executive director of the Fairfax Workers Coalition, said his group remains dissatisfied with the final ordinance.
“None of the substantive changes we requested were addressed,” he said. “The bargaining units still are tilted towards wealthier white employees.”
In a letter to the board, Lyons argued that the changes to the ordinance, which he said were made last minute from Friday (Oct. 15) through Tuesday, “severely erode the labor/management relationship.”
Herrity argued in a statement after the vote that the ordinance is “particularly bad and will limit the ability of the County to provide quality, flexible, cost-effective service to our residents.”
He also alleged that influential unions wrote the ordinance in back rooms, a sentiment echoed by Lyons, who suggested that “corporate” unions and one unnamed large group unfairly influenced the process.
McKay dismissed those sentiments, saying his staff welcomes communication from all and detailing how the process lasted over a year with numerous meetings to gather input, from employee town halls to sessions with labor group representatives and stakeholders.
Photo via Machvee/Flickr
Consulting Company to Expand in Reston — IT consulting firm Intact Technology will expand its headquarters in Reston by adding 40 new jobs and investing at least $700,000. The state competed with Maryland — the previous HQ — for the project. [Gov. Ralph Northam]
Shake It Up for International ShakeOut Day — Today at exactly 10:21 a.m., the largest earthquake drill ever is expected to take place. Registered participants will receive information on how to prepare for earthquakes and what steps to take during and after shaking. [Fairfax County Government]
Lake Anne Condo Board Election Need Intervention — That’s what a group of Lake Anne residents is telling Fairfax County officials. The property owners are asking the county to claim its proxy from Cheryl Terio-Simon, the landlord of property occupied by Reston Community Center. Elections are happening at the end of the month. [Reston Patch]
Photo by Jay Westcott
The 10th Washington West Film Festival is back in-person after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It will feature 31 films being shown from Thursday through Monday and expand its locations to include Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center, ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons, Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner and CenterStage at the Reston Community Center.
The festival kicks off Thursday night with a single 7 p.m. showing of Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” at ShowPlace Icon in the Boro Tysons.
Friday’s films will begin with two blocks of short films at Bow Tie Cinemas. The first block will feature six short films focused on family bonds and the second block will consist of seven shorts documenting the journeys of characters intentionally seeking something.
The remainder of Friday’s films will begin with a double feature block entitled “Making Your Mark,” with documentaries “Love Reaches Everywhere” and “The Shoulders of Giants.” A second double feature will follow about individuals pushing their physical and emotional boundaries with a showing of “Against the Current” and “Last Know Coordinates.”
Capping Friday’s films will be the narrative film “I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING)” with the short film “Are You Okay?” preceding it.
Saturday will mark the official closing night of the festival. It will begin with a 75th anniversary screening of “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and will be followed by “Five Years North” and “A Crime on the Bayou.” The evening will be capped by the Washington, D.C., premiere of the documentary “Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times” and will be preceded by the short film “Alone Together.”
While the festival will close Saturday, Sunday and Monday will also feature a handful of other films.
The ShowPlace Icon will host three blocks of films on Sunday. The blocks will begin with a student showcase of films from George Mason University’s FAVS (Film and Video Studies) student festival. The day will finish off with a reshowing of Friday’s film blocks about family bonds and followed by the documented journeys of characters intentionally seeking something.
The final film on Monday will be “The Blackest Battle,” written D.C. theatre artist Psalmayene 24.
Tickets are still available for purchase on the festival website.
All proceeds of the event will be donated to four charities: Evans Home for Children in Winchester, Baltimore non-profit Blueprint, foster program Virginia Kids Belong, and The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.
The full lineup of film blocks with their times and locations is below:
Thursday, Oct. 21
- 7 p.m. – “The French Dispatch,” at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons
Friday, Oct. 22
- 5:30 p.m. – “Shorts Program One: Family Bonds,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
- 6 p.m. – “Shorts Program Two: Seek and You Will Find,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
- 7 p.m. – “Making Your Mark,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
- 8 p.m. – “Beyond the Limits,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
- 9 p.m. – Short film “Are You Okay?” precedes “I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING),” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
Saturday, Oct. 23
- 10:30 a.m. – “It’s A Wonderful Life,” at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner
- 1:30 p.m. – “Five Years North,” at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner
- 4:30 p.m. – “A Crime on the Bayou,” at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner
- 7:30 p.m. – Short film “Alone Together” precedes “Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times,” Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner
Sunday, Oct. 24
- 1 p.m. – Showcase of “best of” films from George Mason University’s FAVS (Film and Video Studies) student festival, at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons
- 1:30 p.m. – “Shorts Program One: Family Bonds,” at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons
- 4 p.m. – “Shorts Program Two: Seek and You Will Find,” at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons
Monday, Oct. 25
- 7:30 p.m. – “The Blackest Battle,” at CenterStage in Reston Community Center
The Reston-headquartered nonprofit Cornerstones is continuing to give free meals to those in need, thanks in part to federal money.
The money assists kids at the nonprofit’s Laurel Learning Center (11484 Washington Plaza West, Suite 200) as well as homeless people and others experiencing emergencies at the 24/7 Embry Rucker Community Shelter (11975 Bowman Towne Drive).
Kids receive hot lunches and two snacks per day, and the learning center is currently accepting additional families, adding to the 92 children there, Cornerstones spokesperson Margaret Anne Lara said in an email.
The community shelter serves three hot meals and a snack each day to guests.
The two facilities have been involved in the federal program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), for over 20 years. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service provides reimbursements to participating facilities.
“By participating in the CACFP, Cornerstones Laurel Learning Center and Embry Rucker Community Shelter can increase the quality of the meals served and provide more nutritious options,” Lara wrote.
Annual income for individuals must be at or below $16,777 for free meals and $23,828 for reduced price meals. Two-person household max incomes are $22,646 and $32,227, respectively, three-person households are $28,548 and $40,626, accordingly.
For larger families, add $5,902 for each family member for free meal income eligibility and $8,399 for each family member for reduced meals.
The nonprofit also operates one of the largest food pantries in northwest Fairfax County and provides other social services.
A Reston resident and former South Lakes High School parent is using her interest in photography to fundraise for the school’s next public art sculpture on Lake Thoreau’s spillway.
Mary Prochnow, who recently retired from a career in systems engineering, has donated her nature photographs, for a calendar that can be purchased to help raise money for the students’ work. Each year, students from the school’s Science, Technology Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) club create a public art piece on the spillway.
“Knowing that funding this project is always a challenge and that it is entirely independently funded, I was looking for an easy way for anyone who enjoys the artwork to be able to help support the effort,” Prochnow said.
All proceeds from calendar purchases will go toward pushing materials for the sculpture, which will likely be installed in the summer of next year. Lake Thoreau Entertainment Association and Red’s Table, a restaurant, will cover the costs of printing the calendar.
Phoebe Avery, Public Art Reston‘s public art manager, said her organization was humbled by the support of Prochnow, her husband who runs the entertainment association and Ryan Tracy of Red’s Table, for supporting the students’ work.
“Along with our program partners at Reston Association, we have been gratified to watch the STEAM Team grow from four participants to more than 30 students each year,” Avery wrote in a statement.
Two SLHS students — Nava Mehrpour and David Raw — joined Public Art Reston’s public art committee to handpick several of 72 photographers by Prochnow for the calendar.
Marco Rando, an art teacher at the school and the STEAM teaam’s program advisor, said he was ecstatic that Prochnow offered to help fundraise for the effort.
“Using art to support art could not be a more appropriate concept. In addition, the suggestion to engage in an aesthetic gathering with STEAM students to choose her photos for the calendar was a beautiful layer of educational collaboration,” he said.
Rando and Public Art Reston did not immediately return requests for comment on what next year’s public art will look like or where the project is in the development phase.
Residents have until Oct. 31 to donate to the project in order to receive a calendar gift. A minimum donation of $20 is suggested.
The STEAM team has brought public art to life on the spillway, with projects like Spectrum in 2019 and Simon in 2016.
Photo via Public Art Reston
Construction crews are moving forward on an affordable residential complex at Arrowbrook Centre by the Dulles Toll Road and Centreville Road.
As of Thursday, owner SCG Development reported it had completed 31% of the project, dubbed Ovation at Arrowbrook, setting its sights on an early 2023 completion.
“We will begin pre-leasing units at the end of 2022,” Jennifer Schneider, SCG vice president of development, said in an email.
The project will make 274 affordable apartment homes for households earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. It will remain designated as affordable for at least 50 years.
The development will include 55 three-bedroom units and 15 handicap-accessible units.
It will be located next to Arrowbrook Center Park, a townhome and condominium community that Pulte will develop. A high-rise building with a hotel, offices, and condominiums is also planned on the site, Reston Now previously reported.
The development puts it next to a soccer field and the forthcoming Innovation Center Metro station. Other projects nearby going up by the transit stop include Passport apartments and Liberty Park condos and townhomes.
Metro Cuts Back Service for the Week — Expect reduced Metrorail service through at least the ned of this week as officials continue their investigation of last week’s derailment. Silver Line trains will operate between Wiehle-Reston East and Federal Center SW only. [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]
Southgate Community Center Gets New Name — The center was renamed after former Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, who helped transform the old county property into a new community center. [Reston Patch]
Appraisal Roadshow Returns — Reston Association’s annual appraisal roadshow returns on Saturday, Nov. 6. Attendees get to take part in a treasure hunt. [RA]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Construction on a $5.2 million bridge over Colvin Run is set to wrap up by the fall of next year.
The two-lane bridge on Hunter Mill Road over Colvin Run will replace a one-lane bridge that has been deemed structurally deficient by state and national standards.
The Virginia Department of Transportation began building in the bridge in August after launching a public engagement process in April 2018.
While VDOT is expected to fund most of the bridge through federal and state dollars, the department is asking the county to pitch in $408,000 to help construct a splitter island, median refuge, and rapid flashing beacons on bridge.
“The median refuge and RRFB will improve safety and accessibility of drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians where Hunter Mill Road and the Colvin Run Stream Valley Trail intersect just south of the bridge. The bridge is also being designed to allow a future trail crossing of Colvin Run,” according to a memo prepared by county staff.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will vote on an agreement to firm up the county’s contribution at a board meeting tomorrow.
The one-lane bridge had to be reinforced in an emergency move in February last year. The maximum load of the bridge was reduced to 10 tons and the lane width was reduced to 10 feet.
Construction was first expected to begin earlier this year but was later pushed to the summer.
The bridge was built in 1974 and averages roughly 8,500 vehicles per day, according to VDOT.
A construction contract was awarded to Clearwater Construction, Inc. in April.
The county board is expected to vote on a formal project administration agreement with VDOT so that the state can continue project work.
Photo via handout/VDOT
Fairfax County’s late summer, Delta variant-fueled surge in COVID-19 cases may have plateaued with fall’s arrival, but an uptick in deaths over the past week suggests the full toll of the pandemic’s most recent wave is only just starting to emerge.
The county has reported 10 deaths from the coronavirus in the past seven days, including one person who died today (Monday), according to Virginia Department of Health data.
The Fairfax County Health Department said it can’t confirm whether that person was former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who died of complications from COVID-19 this morning. The first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell lived in Fairfax County but was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda at the time of his death.
“Dashboard data is dependent upon several variables, including when report of covid death is logged in state system by an investigator,” an FCHD spokesperson said by email.
The Fairfax Health District, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, has now seen 1,201 people die from COVID-19.
Fairfax County is averaging 1.4 deaths per day for the past week. The weekly average has exceeded one death per day since Oct. 9, when five new fatalities were reported — the longest such stretch since the end of May.
In terms of overall cases, though, the county continues to see a decline from the Delta variant’s peak on Sept. 16, when it was averaging 204.6 new cases a day. With 83 cases added today, the county has reported a total of 91,980 cases and 4,349 hospitalizations.
The current seven-day average of 136.7 cases is skewed slightly by an influx of 292 new cases recorded yesterday (Sunday). That’s the highest single-day total since 397 cases came in on Feb. 13, but the Fairfax County Health Department confirmed to FFXnow that the sudden jump is the result of a reporting backlog, rather than an increase in infections.
With the new school year now well underway, VDH launched a new dashboard today with data on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among children under 18 years of age, citing a rise in infections within that age group since the end of summer.
According to the dashboard, which will be updated every Friday, the Fairfax Health District reported the most COVID-19 cases among children in the Commonwealth between July 21 and Oct. 9 with 3,324 cases — a rate of 1,203 cases per 100,000 children. The only district with a lower case rate is Arlington.
Seven children have been hospitalized by the coronavirus in that time frame, and one died.
Virginia has seen 127,997 COVID-19 cases, 380 hospitalizations, and nine deaths among children since March 2020, according to VDH, which reiterated the importance of vaccinations in its news release.
“While children under 12 years are not yet eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, VDH recommends that everyone 12 years and older be fully vaccinated to help protect against COVID-19,” the department said. “Widespread vaccination of eligible Virginians can protect all children, especially those who are still too young to be vaccinated.”
In the Fairfax Health District, 820,987 people — or 69.4% of the population — have gotten at least one vaccine dose, including 82% of people 18 and older and 84.5% of people aged 12-17. 751,471 people — 75.3% of adults and 63.5% of all residents — are fully vaccinated.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could potentially become available to children younger than 12 next month, with a Food and Drug Administration panel scheduled to consider authorizing the shots on Oct. 26.
While not expected to issue a recommendation until early November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave states guidance last week for how to expand their vaccination programs, and state health officials can start placing advance supply orders this Wednesday (Oct. 20).
Photo via CDC/Unsplash
Monday, October 18
- Climate Change: Preparing for the New Normal in Virginia (5 p.m.) — Jim Kinter, a George Mason University professor and director of its Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, gives an online talk about how people in the Commonwealth aren’t immune to climate change and what they should do.
Tuesday, October 19
- Alluring Autumn (6:30-8:30 p.m.) — Pinot’s Palette features a class focusing on the season of autumn. Cost is $39 and includes a two-for-one deal.
Wednesday, October 20
- Embroidery Machine 101 – Create an Applique Pillow (7 p.m.) — Learn how to make an appliqué pillow using a Pfaff single-thread embroidery machine. Class is $45.
Thursday, October 21
- Klasinc & Lončar Duo (2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.) — Visit Reston Community Center’s The CenterStage for a free performance with two classical guitarists, Natasa Klasinc and Miroslav Lončar. Registration is required.
Friday, October 22
- Washington West Film Fest (5:30-10:30 p.m.) — Reston Town Center’s Bow Tie Cinemas helps kick off the festival running from Thursday to Monday. Several showings occur on Friday and the weekend across Reston and Tysons.
- Opening Reception and Artist Talk (6 p.m.) — A city planner’s artwork explores the ramifications of climate change across Washington, D.C.’s monuments and beyond. The event is free and being held outside Tephra’s satellite gallery at Signature apartments in Reston Town Center.
- Halloween House and Trick-or-Treat Trail (8 p.m. Friday and Saturday) — Check out the Walker Nature Center and its candlelit trail, where visitors can solve animal mysteries along the way. It’s not a haunted house or trail of terror, Reston Association notes. Register by Wednesday. (Most slots have already been taken.) Cost is $12 for members.
Saturday, October 23
- DogFest Washington DC at Reston Town Center (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) — The in-person tradition returns. Helping out the nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence, the event will feature dog demonstrations, speakers, and other festivities.
- Halloween Family Fun Day (noon to 2 p.m.) — Enjoy kids activities, which includes carnival games for youth up to age 8, during this event at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods that encourages people to dress up.
Sunday, October 24
- Walk to End Alzheimer’s (Registration at 8:30 a.m., ceremony at 9:30 a.m. and walk to follow) — A 2-mile route for supporters seeking to end a form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, returns to support the nonprofit Alzheimer’s Association.
- “The Turn of the Screw” (8 p.m. Friday and Saturday as well as 2 p.m. Sunday) — Tickets are $25. Adapted from the classic Henry James horror story, this play follows the journey of a governess caring for two kids when she begins to wonder if the home is haunted.
Photo by slgckgc/Flickr
Local blood supplies have reached critically low levels, creating a potential crisis with hospitals operating at maximum capacity, Inova Health Systems reports.
The dangers of this imbalance between supply and demand became painfully clear last week, when the nonprofit health care system drained its Type B supplies and had to switch to Type O blood in order to stabilize one patient, according to an Inova spokesperson, who described the current need for blood donors as “urgent.”
The patient suffered significant blood loss that triggered a massive transfusion protocol (MTP), requiring medical workers to literally run units of blood, plasma, and platelets from a blood bank to the emergency room, explains Heather Wade, the donor recruitment manager for Inova Blood Donor Services.
“As clinicians, we strive to provide patients with their blood type,” Wade said. “It’s a matter of overall safety, but when that supply has been diminished, we then need to revert to caring for the patient with Type O blood product.”
Inova is seeking donors of all blood types, but it is especially in need of Type B and O blood.
As of Thursday (Oct. 14), Inova was completely out of both B-negative and AB-negative blood, with just 10 of the 90 B-positive units needed in stock, according to its red blood cell inventory.
Supplies are low in part because Type B blood is rare, comprising only about 10% of the U.S. population, according to the American Red Cross.
Type O blood is particularly valuable, because O-negative can be used for all patients. O-positive blood can help about 84% of patients and is carried by Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun county emergency responders for on-site transfusions, Wade says.
Inova currently has just 46 available units of O-positive blood and 68 units of O-negative blood.
Wade says Inova needs about 200 blood donations per day to maintain a sufficient, stable inventory to support the 4.5 million people it serves in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and D.C..
“The actual donation takes 15 minutes, and it can save three lives in our community,” Wade said. “Whether you donated in Sterling and the patient’s in Alexandria, Virginia, you’re helping someone in our Northern Virginia area.”
Low blood supplies have been a challenge nationwide throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Red Cross reporting in March 2020 that it lost roughly 46,000 donations due to a surge in blood drive cancellations.
The shortage prompted the Food and Drug Administration to ease its restrictions on donations from men who have sex with men (MSM), though advocates and some elected officials have challenged the continued existence of any restrictions as discriminatory.
“Inova supports lifting the federal restrictions on MSM blood donation,” spokesperson Tracy Connell said.
A year and a half later, the situation has seen little improvement. The Red Cross said on Sept. 27 that donor turnout levels hit a low for 2021, dropping the nonprofit’s blood supply to its lowest point for this time of the year since 2015.
According to Wade, Inova actually saw a “significant increase in engagement” from new and recurring donors after putting out alerts about the need for blood in the initial days of the pandemic, but donations subsequently declined. Supplies have now been at critically low levels since March.
By contrast, demand for blood has gone up as hospitals report an influx of patients even outside of coronavirus cases, a trend that led Inova to temporarily close some of its urgent care centers.
A census of Northern Virginia hospitals found that 90 to 100% of all beds for in-patient care have been filled, Wade says.
“Some people opted to delay treatment because of the pandemic, and the consequences have been that their treatment, which could’ve probably been less significant early on in the pandemic, has become more aggressive,” she said.
For those interested in donating, Inova has three brick-and-mortar donor centers in Centreville, Annandale, and Sterling, along with bloodmobiles that travel throughout the region. Community organizations can also volunteer to host blood drives.
Inova Blood Donor Services announced last week that it will have blood drives at four Fairfax County high schools this fall: Edison, Woodson, McLean, and Robinson Secondary.
Wade notes that Inova continues to implement disinfecting practices in line with FDA and Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Blood drive workers have also always used sterile, single-use supplies, and masks are still required for both employees and donors.
“If we’re not safe and they’re not safe, then how can we make sure that every patient that needs a blood transfusion [is safe]?” Wade said. “We have to make sure that it’s safe…It’s imperative to the health and well-being of our community.”
Photo via Inova Blood Donor Services/Facebook
Reduced Metro Service Today — Expect reduced Metro service today as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority investigates the recent Blue Line derailment. Metro is holding all of its 7000-series railcars — nearly 60 percent of its rail fleet — out of service. A safety investigation found defects in one of the railcars involved in last Tuesday’s derailment. [WMATA]
Elden Street Business Robbed — Police are looking for a suspect who robbed a business on the 500 block of Elden Street yesterday morning. The man was seen leaving in a red four-door Honda or Toyota. [Herndon Police Department]
Lane and Ramp Closures in Effect on Dulles Toll Road — A number of lane, shoulder and road closures are in effect this week along the Dulles Toll Road, Dulles Greenway and Autopilot Drive. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
