While a day still hasn’t gone by without at least one new COVID-19 case since March 20, 2020, Fairfax County’s daily count stayed in the single digits during the entire first week of June, the first such stretch of the pandemic.

With the addition of eight cases today (Monday), the county has recorded 35 new cases total over the past week and is now averaging just five new cases per day for the past seven days — the lowest weekly average since March 24, 2020, when it was at 4.9 cases.

The Fairfax Health District, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, has now reported 78,034 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, according to the Fairfax County Health Department. 4,121 people have been hospitalized by the respiratory disease, and 1,133 people have died, five of them this month.

To commemorate all of the people who have died in the Northern Virginia region, the Fairfax County Government Center will host a COVID-19 Remembrance Ceremony at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (June 9).

With case levels declining, the county health department announced on Friday (June 4) that it will no longer operate community COVID-19 testing sites, though residents can still get a test through pharmacies, urgent care centers, and other health care providers. The county will also provide testing at its health department clinics for people who exhibit symptoms.

Fairfax County health officials say the slowing spread of the novel coronavirus is the result of rising COVID-19 vaccinations.

“We are not seeing the level of COVID-19 cases compared to a few months ago and are attributing this trend to the number of residents who are getting vaccinated,” FCHD Public Health Emergency Management Coordinator Jesse Habourn said. “However, we are still seeing transmission of COVID-19 in our community so residents who need testing should utilize the vast number of options available in our community or make an appointment at one of our clinic sites.”

701,553 Fairfax Health District residents have now gotten at least one vaccine dose. That amounts to 77.6% of people 18 and older and 59.3% of the district’s total population.

Notably, FCHD’s vaccine data dashboard shows that at least 50% of all eligible age groups have received at least one dose, ranging from 55.8% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 up to 92.8% of adults between 75 and 84 years old.

Overall, 48.7% of Fairfax Health District residents — 575,878 people — have been fully vaccinated, including 63.7% of adults.

While thousands of vaccinations are still administered per day in Fairfax County, demand has started to level out in recent weeks, as shown by the chart below. In response, the Virginia Department of Health plans to close its mass vaccination site at Tysons Corner Center on June 26 as it pivots to smaller, more mobile clinics.

Photo via CDC on Unsplash; charts via Virginia Department of Health, Fairfax County Health Department

County Demobilizes Community COVID-19 Testing Sites — The Fairfax County Health Department closed its COVID-19 community testing sites at the end of the day on Friday (June 4). Testing is still available through health care providers, urgent cares centers, and pharmacies, and starting today (Monday), residents who exhibit COVID symptoms can schedule appointments at an FCHD clinic by calling 703-324-7404. [FCHD]

Carjacking Attempt Reported in Falls Church — Two men, one of them armed with a handgun, approached a man in the 3000 block of Graham Road on May 29 and demanded his car keys and property, police say. They attempted to leave in the victim’s car but took another vehicle instead when they were unable to drive it. No injuries were reported. [FCPD]

D.C. Area Slow to Distribute Rent Relief — “At least $300 million in emergency funds intended to help struggling renters in the Washington area remain unspent even as a federal ban on evictions is set to expire at the end of this month, according to a Washington Post analysis…Fairfax County, the largest county in Virginia, opened its portal to applications the last week of May. The county quickly received more than 700 applications.” [The Washington Post]

Falls Church Real Estate Taxes Due Today — Real estate taxes are due today for property owners in the City of Falls Church. Payments can be made at City Hall, online, or by text, and questions can be directed to the Treasurer’s Office at [email protected] or 703-248-5046. Late payments incur a 10% penalty. [City of Falls Church/Twitter]

(Updated at 6:20 p.m.) The mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic that opened at Tysons Corner Center in April will close on June 26, the Fairfax County Health Department announced today (Friday).

Before then, the community vaccination center (CVC) will expand its hours of operation into the evening starting on Tuesday (June 8). The new hours will be 8:30-5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Extended evening hours two nights a week expands access to obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine for those who are unable to visit during the day,” the county health department said.

Located in the mall’s former Lord & Taylor store, the Tysons CVC was Fairfax County’s first large-scale site for delivering COVID-19 vaccinations. It was organized by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Virginia Department of Health, with the county health department and emergency management office providing support.

According to county officials, the site can accommodate about 3,000 people per day. It primarily utilizes the Pfizer vaccine, which is available to everyone 12 and older, but individuals 18 and older can also request the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The clinic is now open for walk-ins, and Fairfax Health District residents can also schedule an appointment through the health department’s Vaccine Administration Management System or by calling the call center at 703-324-7404.

When asked for comment about the decision to close the Tysons CVC later this month, a county health department spokesperson advised Tysons Reporter to contact VDH instead, since the site is state-run.

Virginia health officials have said in recent weeks that the state is starting to shift away from mass vaccine sites as supplies have become more widely available at primary care providers, pharmacies, and other locations. The vaccination campaign will now focus more on community-based clinics that can target specific populations that might have less access to the vaccine or be more reluctant to accept it.

A VDH spokesperson confirmed that the department is closing the Tysons CVC as part of a general transition away from large events and toward smaller, mobile, pop-up clinics, a reaction to declining demand at community clinics over the past several weeks.

“These smaller mobile clinics will enable VDH and its providers to get into neighborhoods, schools, churches, barbershops, and similar venues where people congregate in their daily lives,” VDH said in a statement. “At this point in the vaccination campaign, the keywords are “convenience” and “accessibility” — making getting a vaccine as convenient as possible and accessible as possible to as many people as possible.”

The Tysons CVC played “a key role” in vaccinating Fairfax County and Northern Virginia residents against COVID-19, VDH says, adding that 42,075 vaccine doses have been administered at the site as of June 3.

Fairfax County has surpassed the federal goal of getting at least one vaccine dose to 70% of all adults by July 4. As of today, 76.8% of adult residents and 58.7% of the overall Fairfax Health District population have received at least one dose, and 62.2% of adults — or 47.6% of all residents — are fully vaccinated, according to the FCHD dashboard.

Despite an unusually cool Memorial Day weekend, Fairfax County could be in for more routine summer compared to last year, as trends in COVID-19 cases and vaccinations suggest that the worst of the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, at least on a local level.

Three new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Fairfax Health District today (Monday), including two in Fairfax County and one from Fairfax City. However, the Virginia Department of Health subtracted two cases from Falls Church City’s total, so the Fairfax County Health Department’s dashboard shows just one new case.

FCHD spokesperson Tina Dale told Tysons Reporter last week that data reviews sometimes lead to cases being removed because they are determined to be duplicates or to have occurred in another health district.

Even with 78 new cases coming in on Thursday (May 27), just before Memorial Day weekend, case levels are continuing to fall in Fairfax County, which is currently averaging 20.3 new cases over the past seven days. The weekly average hasn’t been this low since March 28, 2020, when it was at 19.1 cases and the pandemic’s initial spring surge was only just emerging.

The Fairfax Health District has now recorded 78,003 total cases, 4,116 hospitalizations, and 1,129 deaths.

The continued decline in cases has supported a gradual easing of public health restrictions over the past couple of months. After lifting its mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals in most public settings earlier in May, Virginia officially ended all capacity limits and social distancing requirements this past Friday (May 28).

Because of the novel coronavirus’ incubation period, though, the true impact of those changes and the rise in travel and social gatherings over Memorial Day weekend won’t be evident for another two weeks.

Health officials have also pointed to the potential for new, more transmissible variants to emerge as a reason to remain cautious, particularly for people who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet.

“The best way to stop variants from developing in the first place is to stop the spread of the virus,” Fairfax County Director of Epidemiology and Population Health Dr. Benjamin Schwartz said in a recent blog post. “I encourage people who have not gotten vaccinated to consider making vaccination a part of their holiday plans.”

Given the availability of vaccines, the county hopes to avoid another resurgence of the virus akin to the second wave that hit last fall and over the winter, when cold weather kept people indoors and the holiday season led to an uptick in travel and gatherings.

According to the county health department’s new vaccine data dashboard, 675,696 Fairfax Health District residents — 74.7% of all adults and 57.1% of the overall population — have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, outpacing the federal goal of administering at least one dose to 70% of adults by July 4.

539,394 residents — or 59.6% of adults and 45.6% of the total population — have been fully vaccinated, meaning that at least two weeks have passed since they’ve received all needed shots. That puts the county ahead of Virginia as a whole, which has vaccinated 55.9% of adults and delivered at least one shot to 67.1% of adults.

Chart via Virginia Department of Health

(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) The spread of COVID-19 has slowed to the point where the Fairfax Health District actually subtracted cases from its overall total today (Monday).

According to the latest data from the Fairfax County Health Department, the district — which includes Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church — has seen seven fewer cases than previously reported, suggesting an error in earlier case counts.

The Fairfax Health District actually reported 10 new COVID-19 cases today, but 17 cases that had been assigned to the district have now been removed, resulting in the negative number, according to FCHD spokesperson Tina Dale.

“Data is reviewed by the Virginia Department of Health and adjustments are made based on those reviews,” Dale told Tysons Reporter. “With low overall numbers of new cases, we may continue to see days where ‘negative numbers’ are reported.”

Dale says cases are sometimes removed primarily because they actually occurred in another health district, or because there are duplicates.

“Duplicate cases can occur because VDH has a process where new COVID labs are automatically processed and counted as a new case, which on further review is identified as a duplicate,” she said.

Even so, COVID-19 case levels have continued to drop in the county since the seven-day average peaked for this spring at 194.4 cases on April 13, Virginia Department of Health data shows. The weekly average is now at 23.6 cases — the lowest since there were 22.3 cases per seven days on March 29, 2020.

The Fairfax Health District has recorded a total of 77,837 COVID-19 cases since the first presumptive positive case was identified on March 9, 2020. 4,105 people in the district have been hospitalized, and 1,116 people have died from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The steady decline in new cases has continued even after Virginia amended its mask-wearing mandate more than a week ago to exempt people who have been fully vaccinated, a heartening sign as the state prepares to lift all capacity and social distancing requirements on Friday (May 28) in time for Memorial Day weekend.

The Commonwealth can keep requiring masks for people who aren’t fully vaccinated and in certain settings, such as schools, as long as its public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic remains in place. Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order is currently set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on June 30, though it could be extended or rescinded before then.

Since Northam announced that capacity limits will be lifted at the end of May, rather than in June as initially suggested, vaccinations have become more widespread, while COVID-19 cases have fallen statewide.

With 7.9 million vaccine doses administered overall, 4.5 million Virginians have received at least one dose, amounting to 53.2% of the total population and 65.7% of all residents 18 and older.

3.6 million people — or 42.5% of the total population and 53.5% of all adults — have been fully vaccinated, meaning that at least two weeks have passed since they finished their recommended shot regimen.

Fairfax County has administered 1.1 million vaccine doses. 638,091 residents — 55.6% of the total population — have gotten at least one dose, and 501,845 residents — or 43.7% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, though unlike with VDH’s statewide data, those numbers still don’t include doses delivered by the federal government.

Image via CDC on Unsplash, graphs via Virginia Department of Health

The cicadas are here, along with a new rap about the insects from local hip-hop artist MC Bugg-Z.

“Brood X-cellence” is a deep rhyming dive into the entomology, science, and emergence of Brood X, the periodical cicadas that are just now surfacing from their 17-year slumber underground.

Lines like “I have been chilling underground with my friends sippin on root juices” and “It’s a fitness thing, you’re witnessing predator satiation” will certainly have wings flapping and red eyes darting.

The song is written and performed by MC Bugg-Z, who isn’t just any old bug-loving underground hip-hop artist. He’s an entomologist and biologist who works for Fairfax County.

“I’m part of the Fairfax County Health Department’s Division of Environmental Health and, inside the Division of Environmental Health, we have the disease-carrying insects program,” Andy Lima said. “That’s my normal, real-life job.”

Lima has been writing and recording underground hip-hop since his college days in the mid-2000s with a focus on intelligent lyric writing.

“It’s more about the rhymes than the beats,” Lima said. “I love to convey the knowledge about the things I love and the world I know…by putting it into hip-hop song form.”

In Lima’s case, that’s bugs, and this isn’t his first foray into the emerging genre of insect rap.

In 2016, he released “Zika 101” about protecting oneself from disease-carrying mosquitoes. In 2018, there was “Tick-Check 1-2” about checking for ticks and avoiding Lyme Disease, followed a year later by “West Nile Story.”

While cicadas are not known to carry disease, Lima couldn’t skip the opportunity for a new song about a bug.

“Brood X-cellence” is a remix or sequel of sorts to a cicada rap he wrote back in 2004, when the brood last emerged. He was a student at Indiana University back then, and the din of the cicadas could actually be heard in the background of the recording.

“I was going to just re-release that one this year and just felt like there were things about the song that I wanted to change, new information that I wanted to include and, also, some errors,” Lima said. “I’ve learned some stuff over the past 17 years…Now, the focus is much more on the biology of it as opposed to the spectacle itself.”

When he writes songs, Lima takes a reverse-engineered approach. He thinks about how he wants to end a line and then finds a rhyme to match it.

“I don’t shy away from the scientific words because they are multi-syllables,” Lima said. “You can often find a way to rhyme them or, even, define some of these terms [in the rhyme]…like predator satiation.”

It took about two weeks to write, re-work, and record “Brood X-cellence.” The beat was provided by Kelton Williams, another Fairfax County employee who Lima met while helping with COVID-19 emergency response.

“He’s a great musician,” said Lima. “As soon as I heard [his beat], I thought ‘Oh man, this is going down.'”

The main takeaway that Lima wants folks to get from the song is that this cicada takeover is an incredibly rare and amazing occurrence.

“It’s a fleeting event, a miracle of nature,” he said. “It really only occurs in the eastern half of the United States and nowhere else in the world…It’s just so rare that the public is kind of overrun with insects.”

He hopes his bug rap educates, entertains, and allows folks to have a little fun after a difficult year.

With the temperatures warming, particularly in the evening, the cicadas are expected to come out of the ground en masse within a matter of days, looking to play their own song.

“We’re really going to see the surge that’s just beyond,” Lima said. “So, hopefully my song is well-timed.”

At this time next week, middle and high school students in Fairfax County will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of their school day.

Now that adolescents aged 12-15 are eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine, Fairfax County Public Schools is partnering with the Fairfax County Health Department to open COVID-19 vaccination sites at several high schools around the county, including Langley High School in McLean on May 26.

Announced in a letter sent to parents last night (Monday), the initial schedule will be:

• Tuesday, May 25: Bryant High School (2709 Popkins Lane, Alexandria)
• Wednesday, May 26: Langley High School (6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean)
• Thursday, May 27: Annandale High School (4700 Medford Dr., Annandale)
• Friday, May 28: Mount Vernon High School (8515 Old Mt. Vernon Rd., Alexandria)

More sites will be added starting on June 1, with at least five additional sites expected to be selected later in May, according to FCPS spokesperson Lucy Caldwell.

Registration is now open online for appointments, which will be scheduled between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each day. Students must obtain parent or guardian consent by 8 p.m. on Thursday (May 20) to participate in next week’s clinics.

“It is important to register as soon as possible to ensure that your student will be able to take advantage of this opportunity,” FCPS said. “If maximum capacity is reached, families will be referred to the nearest vaccine clinic for an appointment.”

The county health department estimates that it will be able to vaccinate roughly 600-700 students a day with these clinics, according to Caldwell.

The clinics are open to all eligible students, not just students who attend the schools where they will be located. Transportation will be provided to and from the vaccination sites for all students, but students who are learning virtually need to be dropped off and picked up at their base school.

Caldwell says the schools scheduled for next week were chosen based on the availability of appropriate facilities.

“This is a busy time of year with testing and other events underway at our schools,” she told Tysons Reporter by email. “The large rooms needed — gyms/cafeterias — were essential for the vaccination sites.”

FCPS and the Fairfax County Health Department announced that they were planning to organize vaccine clinics at schools last week after federal officials approved the Pfizer vaccine for people 12 to 15 years of age.

FCPS previously worked with Inova Health System to set up vaccine clinics specifically for school employees.

By partnering with the county health department, FCPS hopes to remove barriers with scheduling, transportation, or other issues that might make it challenging for some students to get access to the vaccine, Caldwell says.

In addition to hosting clinics, FCPS has launched an “Ask Me Why” information campaign to encourage eligible students to get vaccinated, which will be critical as the school system prepares to resume five days of in-person learning in the fall.

On top of the general public health benefits of getting immunized against a disease that 689 Fairfax County students have contracted since Sept. 8, fully vaccinated students will be able to continue attending school in person without having to quarantine if they are exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

“We are hopeful that our students, ages 12 and up, will take advantage of vaccination and return to five days, in-person learning in Fall,” Caldwell said. “It is significant for many reasons, as we believe it is best for students to attend school in person, but also for the social-emotional aspect of building relationships, friendships and rapport with peers.”

(Updated at 1:00 p.m.) Masks are coming off in Virginia, as COVID-19 case levels continue to fall and vaccinations become more widespread.

As of midnight on Saturday (May 15), people who have been fully vaccinated — meaning that at least two weeks have passed since they got all necessary vaccine doses — are no longer required to wear face masks indoors, except inside health care facilities, on public transit, or in congregate settings such as homeless shelters.

“This has been a long road, our community has worked hard to slow the spread of COVID-19 and it has paid off,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said in a statement. “Our case numbers have been steadily dropping while our vaccination rates continue to increase.”

Gov. Ralph Northam updated the Commonwealth’s mask mandate on Friday (May 14) to align with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which cited the vaccines’ proven effectiveness at protecting people from COVID-19 and becoming seriously ill if they do get infected by the novel coronavirus.

Northam also announced last week that Virginia will lift all remaining capacity and distancing rules on May 28, rather than June 15 as previously planned.

“Virginians have been working hard, and we are seeing the results in our strong vaccine numbers and dramatically lowered case counts,” Northam said. “That’s why we can safely move up the timeline for lifting mitigation measures in Virginia. I strongly urge any Virginian who is not yet vaccinated to do so — the vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and your community from COVID-19.”

COVID-19 cases have continued to decline in Fairfax County since the county was averaging 194.4 new cases over the past seven days on April 13.

The Fairfax Health District, which also includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, reported just 16 new cases today, bringing its total for the pandemic to 77,666 cases. 4,091 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 1,108 people have died from the disease.

Fairfax County is now averaging 34.3 new cases per day for the past week — the lowest seven-day average since it was at 30.3 cases on April 1, 2020, when cases just started coming in. The district’s current seven-day testing positivity rate of 2% is the lowest that it has ever been.

The promising downward trends in COVID-19 cases and testing have been complemented by an ongoing vaccination campaign that opened up to 12 to 15-year-old adolescents last Thursday (May 13).

With no vaccine approved yet for younger children and most older students still not vaccinated, Virginia is still requiring masks to be worn in schools in accordance with the CDC’s recommendations.

Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson Lucy Caldwell told Tysons Reporter on Saturday that the school system will communicate information to families, staff, and the rest of the community this week.

McKay says Fairfax County anticipates that children as young as 2 will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine later this year.

“Our goal is to reach at least 70% vaccination rates for all adults residing in Fairfax and we are making great progress in reaching that goal,” McKay said. “While there will still be challenges ahead and while we still have work to do to get people vaccinated, we feel good about the data.”

Northam stated on Friday that over 63% of Virginia’s adult population has now received at least one dose of vaccine, and he remains confident that that number will reach 70% by July 4, the target set by President Joe Biden.

McKay’s office says Fairfax County is also “committed” to reaching the 70% goal by July 4, stating that opportunities for people to get vaccinated are now “widely available throughout our community” and that supplies are at levels to meet demand.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, Fairfax County has administered more than 1 million doses so far. 602,926 residents — 52.5% of the population — have gotten at least one dose, and 454,263 residents — 39.6% of the population — have been fully vaccinated.

The Fairfax County Health Department received 58,500 doses from the state during the week of May 10-16.

Photo courtesy Peggy James, graph via Virginia Department of Health

Fairfax County officials say they plan to follow the state government’s lead on how to handle the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated mask guidelines, which now state that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask outdoors or indoors in most settings.

The CDC announced the revised guidelines yesterday afternoon (Thursday) in a move intended to highlight the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

“We will continue to follow the masking guidance put out by the state and follow the data,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said in a statement. “While there are still times that a mask may be necessary, the vaccine works. This is a strong incentive to get vaccinated if you have yet to do so. It is crucial and effective in protecting your family, friends, and community.”

Virginia officials are currently reviewing the new guidance and expect to issue updates to Virginia’s mask requirements soon, according to Alena Yarmosky, the press secretary for Gov. Ralph Northam’s office.

“Virginia will continue to follow CDC guidelines, as we have throughout this pandemic. We are reviewing this guidance and expect to have more updates soon,” Yarmosky said in a statement. “Ultimately this reinforces the importance of getting vaccinated. Vaccines are our pathway out of this pandemic, and they are how we can all get back to doing what we love.”

The change comes almost exactly one year after the Commonwealth first instituted a mask mandate in an effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

There are caveats to the significant loosening of mask-wearing guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals, defined by the CDC as people who have gone at least two weeks since their last needed dose.

Fully vaccinated individuals must still cover their face and maintain social distancing when going into doctors’ offices, hospitals, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and congregate settings, such as prisons or homeless shelters. Masks are also still required on public transportation and in transportation hubs like airports.

Nonetheless, the move reflects the progress that the U.S. has made in finally getting COVID-19 under control.

With cases declining locally and statewide, and more of the population getting vaccinated, Virginia already loosened its mask guidelines in April, and several capacity restrictions are set to ease tomorrow (Saturday). Northam plans to lift all limits on June 15 if case rates continue to fall.

The new mask guidance was announced within 24 hours of the CDC — along with Virginia and Fairfax County — expanding eligibility for the Pfizer vaccine to adolescents between the ages of 12 to 15.

“With the expansion of eligibility to everyone 12 and older, more Virginians can get vaccinated than ever before,” Yarmosky said. “If you haven’t already, now is the time to get your shot.”

Clinical trials for vaccinating kids under the age of 12 remain ongoing as well.

Photo via Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Tysons Partnership Considers BID — The Tysons Partnership could become a business improvement district that would impose a tax to help fund its efforts to implement Fairfax County’s Tysons Comprehensive Plan. The district would be a first for the county, similar to what Arlington has around Amazon HQ2, but a majority of property owners would have to approve the tax. [Washington Business Journal]

Fairfax Connector Commits to COVID-19 Health Protocols — The bus system has joined the American Public Transportation Association’s Health and Safety Commitments Program, pledging to take “all the necessary measures to operate safely” as Fairfax County plans a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The program commits transit systems to following public health guidelines, including cleaning protocols and mask requirements, and keeping passengers informed. [Fairfax Connector]

MPAartfest Submissions Open — The McLean Project for the Arts is seeking submissions for its 15th annual MPAartfest, a one-day, juried fine art and craft show featuring local and regional visual artists. This year’s festival will take place on Oct. 3 in McLean Central Park. The deadline to submit work is June 15. [McLean Project for the Arts]

McLean Teen Organizes Church Food Drive — “A 14-year-old from McLean, Virginia, is making an extraordinary difference in her community by helping hundreds of families who need some extra help during the pandemic…[Sophia] Sears’ efforts were done in conjunction with St. John’s Episcopal Church.” [WTOP]