(Updated at 12:05 p.m.) After a two-and-a-half month, barely-interrupted march upward, Arlington’s average daily Covid case count has eased a bit over the past three days.
After reaching a seven-day moving average of 198 daily cases on Saturday, this morning the same metric was down to 193. At the same time, however, the county’s test positivity rate is continuing to rise, reaching 14.9% today, the highest point since late January, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.
Testing numbers suggest that the dip in the average case count may be attributable, at least in part, to a lower volume of tests reported in recent days.
Arlington is currently reporting five weekly Covid hospital admissions per 100,000 residents, according to CDC data. That number has been slowly rising over the past few weeks. Should it rise above 10, Arlington would enter what the CDC classifies as a “High” Community Level of Covid infections. It entered the CDC’s “Medium” level last month.
In a Covid update yesterday, Arlington County said it “encourages caution due to [the] rise in Covid-19 cases.”
“Arlington County and the region continue to experience a rise in COVID-19 cases,” the email said. “Use layered prevention strategies to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy – and to keep up the progress we’ve made in fighting the pandemic.”
The county said residents should keep up to date with vaccinations and socialize outside, when possible, among other suggestions. Additionally, the county said today that community centers and libraries will be giving away free rapid tests this week.
Starting this week, all Arlington County community centers and @ArlingtonVALib will have free, at-home, COVID-19 rapid test kits. They are available at all locations and any time during normal business hours. Neither proof of County residency nor a library card is required. pic.twitter.com/NkM7vm9uIo
— Arlington County (@ArlingtonVA) May 24, 2022
Data modeling from the University of Virginia suggests that the current statewide rise in cases will continue into the summer, when it will finally peak. The modeling, released Friday, also predicts lower hospitalization counts compared to prior Covid surges due to higher vaccination rates.
Arlington’s rise in cases for this latest Covid wave was earlier than that of the state as a whole, which raises the possibility that cases here may peak earlier in the summer than the rest of the Commonwealth.
"…Models project continued case growth across the state, with cases peaking in the summer. However the impact in terms of hospitalizations and deaths is likely to be lower compared to past surges." https://t.co/cTkrTJ6G8O pic.twitter.com/wvvkM6MiED
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) May 20, 2022
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The Kinhaven 5K and Family Fest is the family-friendly race of the fall. Runners, walkers, and stroller pushers hit the trail while family members enjoy the fan zone including moonbounce, face painting, music, snacks, and games.
Proceeds support outdoor education and fitness programming.
Early Bird Registration rates through September 30 at runkinhavendotcom!
Donate between 9/27 (Wed) and 9/30 (Sat) to Double Your Contribution to Nathan’s Cancer Slayers 2023, on behalf of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Nathan’s team works in memory of Nathan Fleming, who graduated from Washington-Liberty in 2019 while undergoing chemo and radiation.
Nathan was one of a kind, a great soul, and wise beyond his years. Loving and kind, funny, smart, interesting, easy-going, a little bit goofy and always positive.
Since May 2020, Nathan’s team has raised more than $425,000 to advance innovative childhood cancer research. This year, all the funds we raise will support sarcoma research at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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