Demand For COVID-19 Vaccine Continues To Exceed County's Supply

ARLINGTON, VA — County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti called on Arlingtonians to continue to be patient, while public health officials try to meet the overwhelming demand for the COVID-19 vaccine.

"In Virginia, roughly 50 percent of the population is currently eligible for the vaccine, according to the governor's guideline," de Ferranti said, in a video update posted to YouTube on Monday. "In Arlington County, that's about 100,000 people. According to a recent study, 92 percent of Arlington County residents want the vaccine, which is one of the highest vaccine acceptance rates in the nation."

Currently, Arlington is only receiving 2,750 doses a week from the state, meaning that it could take several months to vaccinate all of the people in the county who want to be vaccinated in Phase 1b.

"Quite simply, the demand for the vaccine is far, far greater than the supply," de Ferranti said. "I know we're all tired of this pandemic and it's hard to be asked yet again to be patient."

The board chair went on to assure that every Arlington resident who wants to be vaccinated will be, but that it will take time. He encouraged residents to continue practicing social distancing, staying at home, and wearing face masks in public in order to reduce the spread of the disease.

As of Tuesday morning, 32,825 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been received in the Arlington Health District and 20,886 doses have been administered. Statewide, 1,130,763 doses of the vaccine have been administered and 217,605 people have been fully vaccinated.

Virginia Department of Health confirmed 44 additional cases of COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, Tuesday in Arlington. That's up slightly from the 41 new cases reported on Monday.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Arlington Health District stands at 12,306.

One new death was reported in the Arlington Health District on Tuesday. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Arlington stands at 208. A total of 744 people have been hospitalized in Arlington due to COVID-19.

VDH reported that 190,688 COVID-19 tests have been taken in Arlington, with a 7.6 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 6,847,477 COVID-19 tests taken, with a 9.9 percent positivity rate.

There have been 49 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Arlington Health District. There have been 27 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, 11 in a congregate setting, one at a correctional facility, four in healthcare settings, four at a child care facilities, one at a college or a university, and one at a K-12 facility. The total number of cases associated with an outbreak is 926. There have been 292 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health care workers.

There have been 534,116 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 6,898 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 22,339 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Get the latest updates on the new coronavirus in Virginia as they happen. Sign up for free news alerts and a newsletter in your Patch town.

Globally, more than 106.6 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 2.3 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Tuesday morning. In the United States, more than 27.1 million people have been infected and over 465,000 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 ...

• Patch Survey: How Is The Vaccine Rollout Going In Virginia?
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: 1 New Death; 41 Additional Cases
• Mitigation Measures Urged Amid Coronavirus Variants In Virginia
• Most Of NoVA Remains In 'Red Zone' For Cases, Percent Positivity
• Arlington Coronavirus Update: Total COVID-19 Cases Top 12,000
• Vaccine Use In Virginia: How Many Shots Have Been Given?
• CVS Adding Northern Virginia Stores To Initial Vaccine Locations