Arlington Coronavirus Update: 5 New Outbreaks Reported

ARLINGTON, VA — Virginia Department of Health reported five new outbreaks of COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, in the Arlington Health District on Thursday. This brings the total number of outbreaks in the county to 34.

There have been 23 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, seven in a congregate setting, three in health care settings, and one at a college or a university.

VDH also reported 53 new outbreak-associated cases, bringing the total number of cases connected with an outbreak to 713. There have been 260 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health care workers.

Gov. Ralph Northam said in a Wednesday news conference in Richmond that an estimated 70,000 doses would be in the first wave of Pfizer vaccines sent to Virginia. Should the FDA give approval to Pfizer's vaccine, doses would go to states immediately, which Northam expected would happen as early as mid-December.

Pfizer was the first vaccine maker to apply for the emergency use authorization from the FDA, and Moderna applied this week. For both vaccine candidates, large-scale tests with thousands of volunteers had 95 percent effectiveness, Northam said.

VDH confirmed 55 additional cases of COVID-19 Thursday in the Arlington Health District. That's down from the 89 new cases reported on Wednesday. The total number of cases in the Arlington stands at 6,472.

No new deaths were reported in the Arlington Health District on Thursday. The last new death due to COVID-19 was reported on Nov. 23. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the Arlington Health District now stands at 157.

VDH reported that 111,011 COVID-19 tests have been taken in Arlington, with a 6.4 percent positivity rate. Statewide there have been 3,869,288, COVID-19 tests taken, with a 9.0 percent positivity rate.

A total of 593 people have been hospitalized in Arlington due to COVID-19.

There have been 244,503 total cases statewide, according to data reported by the Virginia Department of Health. In Virginia, there have been 4,147 coronavirus-related deaths to date. There have been a total of 15,014 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Globally, more than 64.6 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 1.4 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday morning. In the United States, more than 13.7 million people have been infected and over 270,000 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 ...

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