Guidance On Virus Variants Offered By Fairfax Health Officials

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — As COVID-19 cases trend down in Fairfax County, the health department's director of epidemiology and population health continues to stress mitigation measures with the presence of variants in Virginia.

There are three COVID-19 variants of concern in the country: the UK variant (B.1.17), South African variant (B.1.351) and Brazilian variant (P.1). The UK variant has been confirmed in all regions of Virginia, including Northern Virginia, while the South African variant has been found in Virginia's northern region, central region, southwest region, and eastern region. The first Northern Virginia case of the South African variant was confirmed Thursday.

As of March 11, the Virginia Department of Health reported 20 cases of the South African variant and 49 cases of the UK variant. No Brazilian variant cases have been found in Virginia.

New variants were confirmed in Virginia as overall cases trend in Fairfax County and the state as a whole. Fairfax County’s public health lab sends 10 percent of its positive specimen samples to the state for genome sequencing to identify possible variants.

"People may see that COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County and elsewhere have decreased since mid-January or that many people have been vaccinated and figure they can relax. We need to guard against this," said Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, the Fairfax County Health Department's director of epidemiology and population health, in a statement.

Health experts expect new variants to occur over time as the virus spreads from person to person. However, the same public mitigation measures are recommended.

"We can blunt the spread of these variants if everyone continues to practice healthy behaviors such as wearing masks, socially distancing and following other public health [measures] – even with vaccination," said Schwartz.

He cited the University of Virginia's COVID-19 model that shows Virginia could continue to see a decline in cases if people continue public health measures, even with the UK variant. In the scenario of people no longer taking these public health measures, the model projects cases could climb.

Other steps recommended by the health department include getting vaccinated when available, washing hands, avoiding large crowds and gatherings, and staying home when sick. Schwartz recommends a well-fitting, multi-ply face mask that covers the nose and mouth.

According to a health department blog post, the UK variant is believed to spread more easily, has a large number of mutations and has been found all over the world. More study is needed on UK scientists' belief that it increases the risk of death. It was first found in the U.S. in late 2020 and in Virginia in January. The South African variant has multiple mutations and was first found in Virginia in February. The Brazilian variant was first found in the U.S. in late January.

As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies thus far indicate that antibodies produced by the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines recognize these variants. More studies are underway on the impact of vaccinations.

According to the CDC, additional study is also needed on whether the variants are spread more easily, cause milder or more severe illness, can be detected by the current viral tests, respond to medicines being used to treat COVID-19, and change the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccine update in Fairfax County

As of Thursday, 176,978 people in Fairfax County have at least one vaccine dose, and 104,381 are fully vaccinated. The rates of vaccinations are 15,422 per 100,000 people with at least one dose and 9,096 per 100,000 for fully vaccinated people.

The Fairfax County Health Department and its partners are vaccinating eligible groups who preregistered. As of Thursday, the health department is scheduling appointments for people who signed up on Jan. 22. The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton and cities of Falls Church and Fairfax.

During the week of March 1 to 7, the Fairfax County Health Department received over 19,000 doses. The health department's wait list totaled 110,630, or about 36 percent of the 307,153 who have registered for the vaccine.

By the end of March, a mass vaccination center will open to vaccinate residents of Fairfax County and Alexandria. That facility in the City of Alexandria will have the capacity to vaccinate thousands of people each day once supply ramps up.