COVID-19 Cases, Test Positivity Rate Falling in Arlington

(Updated at 11:05 a.m.) The rate of new reported coronavirus cases in Arlington is continuing to fall, today reaching the lowest point since Nov. 15.

With vaccinations happening at a steady clip, and after a winter peak that has seen more than 6,500 confirmed infections since Thanksgiving, the virus is slowing down in Arlington, at least for now.

In the past seven days, 264 new cases have been reported, less than a third of the infection rate of mid-January. The county’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, is down to 4.6%; it was nearly 12% in early January.

Arlington County is encouraging residents to keep taking precautionary measures so that the progress continues.

“As the Virginia Department of Health dashboard shows the County’s 7-day positivity rate dropping to 4.6%, Arlingtonians are called upon to continue following COVID-19 mitigation efforts: wear a mask, keep social distance, wash your hands,” the county said in an email to residents last night “Help us keep this trend going!”

The reduction in cases mirrors the situation regionally, across the state, and nationwide.

“The number of new COVID-19 cases in Northern Virginia has fallen to its lowest level since before Thanksgiving,” InsideNova reported yesterday. “Both the region and the state as a whole continue to see a decline in coronavirus case trends that began in mid-January, as hospitalizations, deaths and test positivity rates all have been falling from their post-holiday peaks.”

Some experts expect the downward trend to continue across the United States as more people get vaccinated and the virus has a harder time finding new hosts.

"We've probably got protective immunity in about 40% of the public," says @ScottGottliebMD. "The spring and the summer will be relatively quiescent." https://t.co/gtLWnfCegE pic.twitter.com/5x0tM4IUzx

— CNBC (@CNBC) February 19, 2021

In Arlington, an average of 857 new daily vaccine doses have been administered over the past week. In total, 28,982 doses had been administered as of Friday morning. The county is currently vaccinating those 65 and older, along with certain categories of frontline workers.

Issues with the transition from Arlington’s vaccine pre-registration system to the new statewide system remain. The county said Wednesday that work was still underway to transfer over all prior local registrations.

We are aware that many Arlington residents who preregistered through the County system are unable to find themselves in the ‘Check the List’ feature. Data migration is continuing throughout the week and it may take several more days for your name to appear in the centralized system.

If you preregistered using the Arlington County system before February 13, you are still on the list, and your status will not be affected. Do not complete a new preregistration in the VDH system. Additionally, Arlington County will maintain all the data submitted before February 13. […]

NOTE: Arlington’s COVID-19 hotline does not have access to the state’s system and cannot answer questions about Vaccinate Virginia. Arlington call takers are available for other COVID-19 questions, such as local testing and food and housing assistance.

Despite the slowdown in cases, Arlington residents are still dying and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. Three deaths and seven new hospitalizations have been reported over the past week.