(Updated at 11 a.m.) For a week, new reported coronavirus cases in Arlington were trending down. That trend has since reversed.
The Virginia Dept. of Health has reported 57 new cases and 6 new hospitalizations in the county over the past two days. The trailing seven-day total of new cases is now 156, up from 142 on Wednesday. Ten coronavirus hospitalizations have been reported in the county over the past seven days.
Yard waste collection is set to resume next week in Arlington, after a four-month hiatus.
Residential waste collection customers have had to do without the weekly collection of organic material since early May, when the county suspended it on account of increased trash volumes during the pandemic over-stretching collection crews.
(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) Starting tomorrow, standing in the wrong place with the wrong number of people could land you a warning from police.
Arlington County says it will begin enforcing its emergency sidewalk crowding ordinance — which makes standing in a group of more than three in designated zones a traffic infraction — on Friday.
County Allocates More Money for Rent Relief — “The Arlington County Board today approved using an additional $1.125 million from the County’s COVID-19 contingent account to fund eviction protection through December 2020 for those affected by the pandemic. The Board’s action brings the total amount allocated for eviction prevention in Fiscal Year 2021, which began July 1, 2020, to $3.5 million.” [Arlington County]
AWLA Pushes to Extend Eviction Ban — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is pushing for legislators to extend Governor Northam’s original eviction deadline of September 7, to prevent animals from being surrendered by people who can’t afford them. AWLA says they’re here to help tenants during these trying times and also urge landlords to cut back on animal restrictions and limitations.” [WDVM]
(Updated at 10 a.m.) Though still well above the lows of earlier this summer, Arlington’s coronavirus metrics are slowly trending in the right direction.
Twenty new COVID-19 cases were reported in the county overnight, bringing the trailing seven-day total of new cases to 142, or just over 20 per day. It hit a summertime peak of about 25 cases per day one week ago.
Marymount University students in Arlington are going back to class today.
The start of the fall semester for Marymount comes amid a backdrop of coronavirus outbreaks disrupting the start of school at other colleges and universities. UNC Chapel Hill and Notre Dame have shifted to online classes after outbreaks there; college outbreaks have been reported in at least 19 states, according to CNN.
(Updated at 10:35 a.m.) Seventeen new COVID-19 cases were reported in Arlington overnight as the county’s seven-day moving average held steady, below the summertime peak reached on Thursday.
Over the past seven days 154 new cases have been recorded in Arlington, compared to 176 as of Thursday — the highest point since the spring epidemic, which abated in late May and was followed by a sustained dip in cases that started to reverse around the beginning of July.
No Citations for Mass Gatherings in Arlington — “Gov. Ralph Northam is limiting social gatherings to 50% of event space capacity, or 250 people, whichever number is smaller. A spokesperson for Arlington County says ‘there have been no reports of social gatherings of this size’ in the locality. Arlington County’s police department has not issued any citations for mass gatherings, and has not levied any fines for people who flout rules regarding mask-wearing.” [DCist]
Prosecutor Explains Fight With Judges — “Taking the court to court to preserve the discretion of this office is the only way I know to protect the will of the voters who elected me. This is how we weave the quilt of criminal justice reform: each locality using its voice to demand change and put its values into elected offices. Town by town, county by county, we must fight to shape the communities in which we want to live.” [Washington Post]
(Updated at 9:50 a.m.) After holding steady for more than a week, the number of new coronavirus hospitalizations in Arlington have jumped over the past few days.
Eleven new hospitalizations have been reported since Tuesday, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. The cumulative total now stands at 448.
B-52 Flyover Attracts Attention — A B-52 Stratofortress flew low and loud over Arlington Thursday morning, likely as part of an Arlington National Cemetery funeral, turning plenty of heads. [Twitter, Twitter]
Va. Coronavirus App Gets Positive Reviews — “I often use this column to warn about the dangers of apps that track you. This time, I’m going to recommend you actually install one. There’s a new kind of app that uses your smartphone’s Bluetooth wireless signals to figure out when you’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus… It’s called Covidwise, and works in the state of Virginia.” [Washington Post]
Fourteen years of school and training is needed to become a physician specializing in infectious disease. Yet when it comes to novel treatment for COVID-19, a former crack addict who has made millions selling pillows has as powerful a voice as a doctor.
The race for a cure presents both opportunities and challenges to how we evaluate novel treatments and we are witnessing how drug approval can go awry during a pandemic. As a doctor, it is frustrating and concerning to see so many Americans place their trust in politicians and entrepreneurs over evidence-based medicine. It leaves me wondering if the role of a physician, and science in general, is devalued.
Virginia Hospital Center (1701 N. George Mason Drive) has opened up a new suite of patient rooms, each a bit larger than the typical hospital rooms with some features designed with COVID-19 in mind.
“Virginia Hospital Center’s new 4th floor patient unit and nurses’ station opened in August, adding 21 more private rooms that are 30% larger than VHC’s standard rooms,” a spokesperson for the hospital said in a statement. “The interior design of the new unit continues the clean, modern aesthetic of the VHC campus creating a comforting space for patients and families.”
