On Tuesday Arlington’s seven-day moving average of Covid cases set another record.
Just shy of 200 people are testing positive for the virus in Arlington each day, on average, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. Lines for local Covid testing sites stretch around multiple blocks. And yet, people are (mostly) still traveling for the holidays, dining at restaurants and generally living their lives.
More Huge Covid Testing Lines — “This is the current situation at VA Highlands Park #COVID19 testing center! How do they expect people to preemptively get tested if that means standing in the bitter cold for hours?” [Twitter]
Libraries Run Out of At-Home Tests — “And Arlington libraries are out of tests, less than an hour after doors opened. No more tests until at least after Jan. 1.” [Twitter]
Shot Fired in Buckingham — “At approximately 3:04 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of shots heard in the 4200 block of 2nd Road N. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male victim exited an apartment, encountered the two suspects in the hallway and confronted them. A physical altercation ensued, and one suspect produced a firearm. During the struggle, a shot was fired, causing damage to the door of an apartment. The suspects then fled the scene. Responding officers recovered the firearm.” [ACPD]
Driver Strikes Child in Falls Church — “At approximately 4:15 p.m., Falls Church Police and Arlington County Fire and Medical units were dispatched for a report of vehicular crash with injuries involving a pedestrian, approximately 3 to 4 years old. The victim was taken to Fairfax Hospital and is currently listed in critical condition. The driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene. The preliminary investigation is still underway with no additional details at this time.” [City of Falls Church, Twitter]
(Updated at noon) It’s a tale of two Covids: the rate of new cases has shattered the previous record in Arlington, but so far there has been no significant increase in reported hospitalizations.
The Virginia Dept. of Health reported 286, 193, and 232 new daily cases over the past three days, respectively. Arlington’s previous single-day case record was 193 on Jan. 9.
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Arlington County just recorded the second- and third-highest single-day Covid case totals of the pandemic.
The 168 cases reported on Thursday was the county’s second-highest daily case total for 24 hours, before being supplanted by the 185 cases reported today. The local single-day record remains the 193 cases recorded on Jan. 9, 2021, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.
The future of Arlington Public Schools’ in-house Virtual Learning Program appears to hang in the balance.
The school system developed the program over the summer to give families an alternative to five days a week of in-person instruction. APS made in-person learning the default this fall after offering remote and later, hybrid instruction, last school year. About 600 students attend the VLP.
A group of Arlington County first responders and staff from other departments are petitioning the county to reverse course on its vaccine mandate.
Those who elect not to get the vaccine risk losing their jobs come February, per the county’s updated vaccine policy, shared with ARLnow.
A post-Thanksgiving rise in Covid cases in Arlington appears to have plateaued over the past few days — at least for now.
The seven-day moving average of new daily cases in the county currently stands at 67, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. That’s up from an average of 23 cases per day Thanksgiving weekend.
Within hours of offering free at-home COVID-19 rapid test kits on Friday, Arlington County libraries ran out.
All seven open library locations were offering tests — 360 tests in total, across all branches — but all were claimed by 12:10 p.m.
A post-Thanksgiving rise in Covid cases has continued unabated this week.
On Thursday, Arlington County recorded 85 cases, the biggest one-day case total since Feb. 6. The seven-day moving average of new daily cases is now 62, the highest point since mid-February.
Arlington County continues to be one of the top localities regionally and nationwide for residents using public transit to commute to and from work, recent census data shows.
Earlier this year, a trove of U.S. census data was released. While much of it remains in need of analyzing, some enterprising researchers are pulling from 2020 data sets to drill down on very specific questions, like which counties have the highest percentage of workers using public transportation to commute.
(Updated 1:10 p.m.) Arlington Public Schools is applying to the state for more than $15.6 million in federal funds to tackle pandemic-era learning loss.
The school system says it would use the money to provide more specialized instruction, before- and after-school tutoring and expanded summer school offerings.
