As Thanksgiving approaches, Fairfax County reported the highest weekly average of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began earlier this year. The news comes as the county and state record peaks in the number of new cases reported and appear to confirm fears of a second wave of cases.
Even as the possibility of a vaccine becomes reality, health officials are urging residents to avoid celebrating the holiday with members outside ones’ household, if possible.
As of today (Monday), the state’s health department reported 453 new cases, second only to the highest number of new cases (493) per day that was reported on June 25. To date, the county has had 38,798 cases, 2,474 hospitalizations and 614 deaths.
Based on the current trajectory of cases, more evidence shows that cases have been growing at an exponential rate in the county over the last month.
The county’s test positivity rate is 8.3 percent, more than one percentage point higher than the statewide test positive rate, which is currently 7.2 percent. In the state, 3,242 new cases were reported today, according to state health data.
Similar surges have been detected regionally recently.
“The number of new COVID-19 cases in the Fairfax and Loudoun health districts is officially surging, according to new analysis from the University of Virginia, and the Northern Virginia region’s overall caseload is at its highest level since it peaked May 31,” Inside NOVA reported.
The Virginia Department of Health attributed some of today’s case counts to “a catch-up from the VDH data system being down for upgrades for a few hours this weekend.”
Hospitalizations, however, remain relatively low in the county. Two new hospitalizations were reported today, and no new deaths were reported.
Photo via Unsplash; graph via Fairfax County Department of Health
Three occupants of a house in the 1000 block of Towlston Road in McLean have been displaced by a fire that occurred on Sunday (Nov. 22), the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reported today.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the two-story, single-family home at approximately 1:56 a.m. Fire was showing through the front door when units arrived on the scene.
Since the area had a limited number of fire hydrants, responders requested a tanker task force, and additional FCFRD units were brought to the area, along with fire and rescue crews from Montgomery County.
“Crews initially knocked the fire down from the outside,” FCFRD says. “They then entered the home to extinguish the fire.”
No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.
UPDATE – Cause of McLean House Fire Under Investigation. Three occupants were displaced. More: https://t.co/E9hQxaemIk #FCFRD @mcfrs pic.twitter.com/rxpJdTOCsK
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) November 23, 2020
Three residents of the house were home at the time of the fire, which they discovered in the basement upon smelling smoke. FCFRD says it did not find evidence of working smoke alarms.
The fire has displaced the three occupants, who accepted the Red Cross assistance that was offered, and it caused approximately $115,000 in damages.
“The cause of the fire is currently under investigation,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescue says.
The long awaited COVID-19 vaccine is reportedly on its way.
On Nov. 9, Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech unveiled their preliminary results on a potential COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer and BioNTech followed up with an announcement on Nov. 18 that the vaccine is 95% effective with a consistent efficacy across age, race, and ethnicity demographics during its ongoing trials.
On Friday, the pair formally requested an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow a faster rollout of a vaccine to the American public.
Shortly after Pfizer and BioNTech reported their preliminary results, Moderna Inc. and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) — which is part of the National Institutes of Health — announced on Nov. 17 that they had co-developed a second vaccine candidate with an efficacy of 94.5%.
Well before these announcements, though, Fairfax County health officials were preparing for the distribution and accessibility of a COVID-19 vaccine once one becomes available.
“We’re working on all of the logistics of getting the vaccine out,” said Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, the Fairfax County Health Department’s director of epidemiology and population health. “We’re working on communicating with our health care partners, health care providers, [and] health care organizations so that we can not only make sure we’re able to vaccinate them, but also if they want to deliver vaccine to their patients, that we can tell them how to do so.”
Schwartz says plans are still being made as the county and health department learn more about the two-dose vaccine and its availability in the coming weeks or months.
Though some plans will need to be finalized, Schwartz shared that a portion of the county’s plans will be to focus initially on priority groups that are most at risk for severe illness. Those groups include health care workers as well as residents and staff of nursing homes.
The county’s method for distribution will also take a variety of approaches, according to Schwartz. He detailed that the vaccine will be distributed in some cases by facility and, in others, by the local health department. He also said that some national chain pharmacies and private providers interested in vaccinating would be part of the distribution plans.
Those plans are contingent on the availability of a vaccine. The FDA has scheduled a meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) for Dec. 10 to discuss the EUA request from Pfizer and BioNTech, according to a press release from the FDA. Though the VRBPAC may provide advice to the FDA, the FDA will have the final decision on the pharmaceutical companies’ EUA request.
If the EUA request is approved, Pfizer has announced plans to distribute the vaccine as soon as possible in December.
“We will continue the work already underway to make sure we can begin shipping the vaccine immediately after authorization or approval,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a video released by the company on Nov. 20. “Based on current projections, we expect to produce globally up to 50 million doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.”
According to Schwartz, once a vaccine is approved, its distribution would be a function of the federal government, which will decide how to allocate the vaccine to the states. The state health department would then allocate the vaccine to local health departments or jurisdictions.
“We’re still communicating and learning how that’s going to work,” Schwartz said. “We are in constant communication with the Virginia Department of Health and still obviously getting more information about how that’s going to occur.” Read More
The Fairfax County Police Department is investigating two different armed robberies that took place in Tysons last week.
The first took place in the 8300 block of Greensboro Drive at 3:39 p.m. on Nov. 14. The victim was approached by a man with a knife who demanded money. The man “forcibly took a wallet from the victim before walking away from the area,” the FCPD reported in its weekly recap on Nov. 20.
The victim in that incident suffered injuries, but they were not life-threatening.
The second reported incident occurred at 2:19 a.m. on Nov. 19 in the 8600 block of Westwood Center Drive.
According to Fairfax County police, two men armed with guns forced their way into a hotel room occupied by three victims. The men assaulted one of the victims and took cash and personal property before walking away from the area.
The assaulted victim was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, police say.
Routine Maintenance Closes Parts of Clemyjontri Park — “While some sections are closed, others will remain open and the work will rotate throughout the playground from Sat., Nov. 21 through approximately Fri., Dec. 4, 2020.” [Fairfax County Park Authority/Twitter]
Tysons Sheraton Liquidation Sale Shows Impact of Pandemic — “[Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association Eric] Terry estimated 20 Virginia hotels closed on a temporary basis during the pandemic, and although most have since reopened, the outlook is bleak. More hotels may follow the Sheraton’s path.” [DCist]
Social Distancing Santa Offers Sense of Normalcy — “The Wells were among a stready stream of families entering Santa’s Headquarters at Tysons Corner Center Friday night with a reservation in hand for their annual picture with Santa Claus.” [ABC7-WJLA]
Pandemic Pushes Key Retailers out of Founders Row Project — “Business casualties from the coronavirus pandemic hit home for the City of Falls Church, with major retailers in hybrid theater-restaurant Studio Movie Grill and City Works restaurant both backing out of their commitment to the Founders Row Development due to financial troubles.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
Tempers ran high during the Virginia Department of Transportation’s virtual public meeting on its Interstate 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project on Wednesday (Nov. 18).
With a Dec. 4 deadline for public comment on the project’s environmental assessment and initial design plans approaching fast, some community members criticized VDOT for a perceived lack of transparency and asked why the project is being pursued now instead of waiting for Maryland to undertake its long-gestating plan to improve the American Legion Bridge.
“More has to be done now to look at the basics, because the studies that VDOT has presented are inadequate,” McLean resident April Georgelas argued. “It’s inappropriate to pursue this any further and put citizens through the stress that we don’t need right now for a project that will only do harm for our area.”
Initiated in the spring of 2018, the 495 NEXT project proposes extending the existing 495 Express Lanes roughly three miles from the Dulles Toll Road and I-495 interchange to the George Washington Memorial Parkway near the American Legion Bridge.
VDOT would replace bridges to accommodate the express lanes, add a bicycle and pedestrian trail, construct new noise walls where necessary, and provide stormwater management facilities.
Virginia transportation officials say extending the 495 Express Lanes will help reduce congestion in one of the most congested corridors in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, while also improving travel reliability and reducing the amount of cut-through traffic that currently goes through neighborhood streets in McLean and Great Falls.
According to VDOT’s analysis, the 495 NEXT project would move approximately 2,500 more people per hour in both directions through the corridor starting in 2025. It would move 5,400 more people an hour if Maryland completes its American Legion Bridge project, though that is not likely to be finished until 2027.
By 2045, I-495 would be able to carry an additional 7,600 people an hour in both directions combined with the express lanes extended, VDOT says.
“This facility will provide a running way for carpools, vanpools, and transit vehicles to be able to provide reliable and faster trips than what could be accomplished under the current congested conditions,” VDOT Special Project Development Associate Manager Abraham Lerner said.
While the McLean Citizens Association has expressed support for 495 NEXT, many community members have raised concerns about the planned bike trail location, the ramps that have been proposed as modifications to the Dulles Toll Road interchange, and potential environmental and neighborhood impacts.
According to VDOT Megaprojects Director Susan Shaw, the project is anticipated to affect 35 acres of trees with its first phase of construction and about 3,000 feet of stream in Scotts Run, 70% of which is already significantly degraded.
Shaw says VDOT has committed to doing a tree survey prior to any removals to determine what trees should be replanted where possible and working with Fairfax County on stream restoration.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust urged VDOT to look for alternatives for the Dulles Toll Road interchange. The current plan involves three phases of new ramps being constructed.
“The impact of those ramps on that area of the county, which includes residential neighborhoods and Tysons – which we’re trying to create as a transit-oriented community – is going to be overwhelming,” Foust said. “Clearly, there’s a lot of traffic there, but right now…what you’re ending up [with] there is a spaghetti network of ramps that’s going to be very destructive to that entire area of Fairfax County.”
Photo via Google Maps
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors voted on Thursday (Nov. 19) to grant Fairfax County’s request to drop the “corner” from the name of the Tysons Corner Metro Station.
The board simultaneously approved a name change for the Prince George’s Plaza Metro Station in Maryland. That station will now be called Hyattsville Crossing.
The name changes were approved despite the results of surveys of riders and members of the public that found most respondents “significantly preferred” the stations’ current names over the proposed replacements, according to a report by WMATA’s safety and operations committee.
“History with Metrorail Station naming informs us that our riders and the communities we serve develop attachments to rail station landmarks and resist change,” WMATA staff said in the report.
For the Tysons station, only 36% of the online public survey’s 5,508 respondents said they like “Tysons” as a station name, compared to the 45% who disagreed and the 67% who said they like the name “Tysons Corner.”
However, 62% of respondents agreed that the name “Tysons” is easy to remember, and 58% said it would not be easily confused with other station names. 48% said the name clearly conveys the station’s location, and 47% said it describes the location well, surpassing than the 35% and 36%, respectively, who disagreed with those statements.
While the affirmative percentages are higher in all categories for Tysons Corner than they are for Tysons, those results are evidently positive enough that WMATA staff believes objections to the name change will dissipate once community members become familiar with the new moniker.
“Six in 10 survey respondents found the name [“Tysons”] easy to recall and not confusing with other names,” the staff report says. “Should the Board wish to approve the jurisdiction’s request, it is likely that the new name will become synonymous with the surrounding community over time and customers will find it sufficient for wayfinding.”
All of the Metro directors who were present for the vote supported the name changes, except for District of Columbia First Vice Chair Stephanie Gidigbi, who cited concerns about the public feedback when opting to abstain from the vote.
WMATA announced on Oct. 27 that Fairfax County and Prince George’s County had submitted formal name change requests for the Tysons Corner and Prince George’s Plaza stations.
According to the safety and operations committee report, Metro is planning systemwide signage and rail map changes in preparation for the second phase of its Silver Line service, which is not likely to start service until next summer.
With a Dec. 31 deadline for signage changes to be finalized, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors requested that Metro rename its Tysons Corner station as part of the county’s ongoing efforts with the Tysons Partnership to rebrand the area around the Tysons Corner Center mall as Tysons.
The Board of Supervisors has also asked Metro to rename the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metro Station to reflect that the University of Virginia no longer has facilities nearby as of April 2020.
Like Prince George’s County, Fairfax County has committed to funding the $332,000 needed to change signage at the affected stations, according to WMATA.
Staff photo by Catherine Douglas Moran
A man is now facing charges for unlawfully filming people at the Nordstrom in Tysons Corner, Fairfax County police announced this morning (Friday).
The Fairfax County Police Department says it first learned about possible unlawful filming at the store after a janitor reported finding a concealed video camera inside a bathroom on Oct. 24.
A woman then reported on Nov. 7 that she had been illegally filmed while in a dressing room, prompting the FCPD’s Tysons Urban Team to launch an investigation.
Officers arrested a man identified as Gerson A. Rosales Miranda of Woodbridge on Nov. 14 after Nordstrom alerted police that an unidentified woman who investigators had linked to the two reported incidents had returned to the store.
Officers searched the area and found Rosales Miranda “disguised as a woman.” Major crimes bureau detectives confirmed that he was responsible for the Nov. 7 incident, according to the department.
Rosales Miranda has been charged with five counts of unlawful filming with additional charges pending the outcome of the continuing police investigation. He was given a $2,500 bond.
“The investigation is ongoing and we will provide updates regarding charges and victims at a later time,” the FCPD public affairs bureau said when asked for more details about the number of incidents involved in the case.
Check out our video sharing details surrounding a recent arrest involving several unlawful filming incidents at Tysons Corner Mall in the McLean District. #FCPD #FCPDOnScene pic.twitter.com/BextGrZLx1
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 20, 2020
This is not the first time that unlawful filming has been reported at Tysons Corner Center.
A case involving over 100 videos allegedly taken in store dressing rooms at Tysons Corner Center, Fair Oaks Mall, Springfield Town Center, and Fair Lakes Promenade in December 2018 ended with Fairfax County police charging an Alexandria resident with unlawful videotaping and other crimes in January 2019.
The FCPD also charged a man from Maryland with unlawful filming and trespassing on Dec. 14, 2019 after he was seen recording two women at Tysons Corner Center.
A Tysons Corner Center spokesperson says the mall has no comment on the current case, noting that the FCPD is leading the effort.
The FCPD has officers assigned to Tysons Corner, Fair Oaks Mall, and Springfield Town Center for anyone who needs assistance or sees “anything suspicious while out shopping this holiday season,” the public affairs bureau says.
Photo via FCPD
Vienna residents and employees who are struggling to make housing and utility payments due to COVID-19 may be eligible for help.
Through its new CARES Fund, the Town of Vienna will provide $100,000 in assistance to residents and workers for up to one month of housing expenses and gas and electric bills. The program is first come, first served, and recipients do not need to repay the town, which will allocate the funds through direct payments.
“As the health crisis continues to linger, some families are finding it increasingly difficult to hold on financially,” Vienna Economic Development Manager Natalie Monkou said in a statement.
“The Town has been fortunate to have received CARES Act funding through Fairfax County that has helped us weather, to some degree, the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic,” Monkou said. “We want to share what we’ve received with those most in need and provide assistance to those who live and work in Vienna.”
The town may contribute up to 5% for administrative costs, making the entire appropriation worth up to $105,000. The Vienna Town Council approved an agreement establishing the fund on Nov. 2.
“We know the funding is limited, so we’re trying to target to help as many people as possible. That’s why it’s limited to up to one month for housing and utilities,” Monkou told the town council on Nov. 2.
The Vienna CARES Fund will be administered through Fairfax County, and the direct payments will be made by the Committee for Helping Others.
Although her office does not have a list, Monkou told the town council that staff “will be working to target residents and business workers who fit the eligibility criteria.”
Recipients must earn less than 60% of the area median income and must provide proof of income, mortgage or rental agreement, and utility billing.
Those who do not live in Vienna may be eligible if they live in Fairfax County and work for a business in Vienna with a valid business license.
The eligibility process could be quick, if applicants have the needed information on hand and can upload it, Monkou said, adding that for those who do not meet eligibility, there are other programs at the county level.
During the meeting, Mayor Linda Colbert told Monkou she was glad this program could work out.
“I know it’s not the end-all for the group of people we’re going to help, but I think it matters and it’s important that we’re doing this,” she said.
Interested Vienna residents and business employees must contact Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning at (703) 222-0880 to be screened for eligibility before being referred to the Committee for Helping Others for assistance.
For more information about this program, email [email protected].
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is currently exploring possibilities for adding more transit routes to Tysons along the Interstate 495 corridor as part of its I-495/American Legion Bridge Transit and Transportation Demand Management Study.
Joined by Virginia Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Administration officials, DRPT presented some potential options for new connections at a public meeting on Wednesday (Nov. 18) that provided updates on the transit study and VDOT’s I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project.
DRPT officials have identified Tysons, Dunn Loring, Reston, and Arlington as key destinations in the corridor, noting that there tends to be more demand for travel from Maryland to Virginia than the other way around.
“There is significant travel between activity centers on the Maryland 355 corridor and Silver Spring to destinations like Tysons, Dunn Loring, and the Virginia Route 7 corridor,” DRPT Northern Virginia Transit Planning Manager Ciara Williams said. “A great deal of transit services operate in the study area. However, there are no transit services today that directly link the major activity centers.”
After looking at a variety of potential transit connections between Virginia and Maryland on 495, DRPT singled out eight possibilities that merited further study and ranked them based on their ability to add ridership relative to their cost, the service they would provide to low-income and minority populations, and the number of people and jobs to which they would improve access.
Five out of the eight preliminary possible transit routes go to Tysons. A sixth route – and the one that received the highest score – goes through Tysons to connect Bethesda and Dunn Loring.
A proposed transit route that would go from Gaithersburg, Md., to Tysons during the morning peak period and in the other direction during the evening peak period is the only one that got a top score for productivity, equity, and connectivity.
However, the Bethesda-Dunn Loring and Bethesda-Tysons routes ranked higher, because a trips-per-day metric included in the productivity score was weighted higher to prioritize routes with the potential to yield the highest ridership levels, according to Williams.
The other routes that DRPT is considering evaluating further are Germantown to Tysons, Silver Spring to Tysons, Frederick to Arlington, Bethesda to Reston, and Frederick to Tysons.
The American Legion Bridge transit study started in December 2019 after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced an agreement to fund the $1 billion project to replace and widen the bridge, which is part of the Capital Beltway and currently the only way to travel between Maryland and Virginia without going through Washington, D.C.
“495 is one of the most congested roadways in all of Maryland and Virginia, and traffic is forecasted to increase in the future,” Williams said. “…We see that there’s a need for transit and TDM solutions in conjunction with the planned and managed Express Lanes to efficiently and effectively serve travel across the bridge.”
The transit study is being conducted in parallel with the proposed 495 NEXT project, which extends the existing 495 Express Lanes roughly three miles from the Dulles Toll Road and I-495 interchange to the George Washington Memorial Parkway near the American Legion Bridge.
DPRT Transportation Chief Jennifer Debruhl says the study team anticipates releasing its draft recommendations for public comment in early December before finalizing the study early next year.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott, slides via Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
