Coronavirus Vaccinations Open To Phase 1b In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Health District begins the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday. Arlington Public Health outlined details for the first groups eligible in Phase 1b.

Vaccinations have been ongoing for the 1a group and will continue. Members of that group include healthcare personnel and residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

Persons in Phase 1b include persons 75 and older; police, fire, and hazmat personnel; corrections and homeless shelter workers; childcare workers; K-12 teachers and staff; food and agriculture workers, including veterinarians; manufacturing workers; grocery store workers; public transit workers; mail carriers, both U.S. Postal Service and private; and officials needed to maintain continuity of government.

Those who are eligible (Phase 1a and Phase 1b) to receive the vaccine may pre-register for an appointment online.

Virginia Department of Health confirmed 120 additional cases of COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, Monday in the Arlington Health District. That's down from the 150 new cases reported Sunday.

Saturday's total of 193 was the highest number of new cases reported in a single-day during the entire pandemic. The previous one-day peak was 154, which was reported on Dec. 22.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Arlington Health District stands at 10,117.

One new death was reported in the Arlington Health District on Monday. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Arlington now stands at 186. A total of 687 people have been hospitalized in Arlington due to COVID-19.

As of Friday morning, 3,294 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Arlington Health District.

VDH reported that 159,961 COVID-19 tests have been taken in Arlington, with a 12.3 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 5,594,913 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 16.6 percent positivity rate.

There have been 42 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Arlington Health District. There have been 26 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, eight in a congregate setting, one at a correctional facility, four in healthcare settings, two at a child care facilities, and one at a college or a university.

The total number of cases associated with an outbreak is 862. There have been 283 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health care workers.

There have been 403,386 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 5,393 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 19,182 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Globally, more than 90.4 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 1.9 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday morning. In the United States, more than 24.4 million people have been infected and over 374,000 people have died from COVID-19.

VDH breaks down the number of cases and deaths in Arlington by age, race and ethnicity. The breakdown by age is as follows:

Arlington residents should take the following actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Also see ...

• As NoVa Vaccinations Expand, 4,530 New COVID-19 Cases, 10 Deaths
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 1 New Death; 113 Additional Cases
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: No New Deaths; 121 Additional Cases
• VA Coronavirus Update: Fairfax County Sees Spike In New Cases
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: Positivity Rate Continues To Climb
• 100K Have First Vaccine Dose, VA Coronavirus Hospitalizations Up
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 2 Additional Deaths; 48 New Cases