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JUST IN: Rate of new Covid cases in Arlington reaches highest point since February

Covid cases in Arlington as of 12/6/21 – past 90 days (via Virginia Dept. of Health)

Arlington County is seeing a post-Thanksgiving surge in reported Covid cases.

The seven-day moving average of new daily cases is now 51, up from around 23 cases per day as of the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That’s the highest point since mid-February, as mass vaccinations were just getting underway and cases were coming down from a pandemic high of 123 cases per day in January.

Arlington’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, has risen from 2.5% just before Thanksgiving to 3.8% over the weekend, the highest point since August.

The rise in cases comes amid an increase nationally, with the delta variant account for most of the rise but amid worries of the new omicron variant fueling a further surge in cases this winter.

In highly-vaccinated Arlington, the good news is that thus far reports of serious illness remain relatively low. Since Thanksgiving only one new Covid-related hospitalization and one new death have been reported, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.

Covid cases in Arlington as of 12/6/21 – entire pandemic (via Virginia Dept. of Health)