NoVA Public Health Officials Stress Vaccinations, Indoor Mask-Wearing During Holidays

NORTHERN VIRGINIA — Public health leaders in Northern Virginia are once again encouraging residents to maintain their vigilance in curbing the spread of COVID-19 to minimize hospitalizations and deaths during the holiday season.

Since the first case of the coronavirus in Northern Virginia in March 2020, there have been more than 2,600 COVID-19 deaths, 9,000 hospitalizations, and 230,000 cases in the region. Many of the hospitalizations and deaths occurred during last winter’s surge, regional health leaders noted in a joint statement Thursday.

For about seven weeks during the fall, COVID-19 cases across all of Virginia were on the decline. After reaching 3,689 cases in mid-September, the seven-day average of daily cases in Virginia dropped as low as 1,250 in early November.

Cases are on the rise again in Northern Virginia and the rest of Virginia. On Thursday, Fairfax County reported a 7-day average of 200 new cases, only slightly below the 7-day average of 204.6 cases at the peak of the delta variant on Sept. 16. Less than a month ago, on Nov. 11, the 7-day case average had dropped to 58.7, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Hospitalizations, which were flat in late November, have begun rising again. The people who are dying and experiencing severe disease are largely the unvaccinated, according to officials.

Cases were rising this time last year, too. The number of cases statewide peaked last January at a daily average of 4,500, the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Public health leaders in Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun and Arlington counties and the City of Alexandria emphasized Thursday in the joint statement that indoor mask use at work and in schools has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of transmission of the coronavirus.

Bigger COVID-19 outbreaks have been seen in school settings where masks are less used, such as in athletics or in schools that have higher rates of mask exemptions.

Health directors in Northern Virginia are closely monitoring the rapid increase in cases in the region and the disease trends locally, as well as the potential impact of the COVID-19 omicron variant.

On Thursday, the VDH confirmed the first case of the omicron variant in Virginia. The case was identified in a person who lives in the Northwest region of the state.

With more people spending time indoors with others as cold weather sets in, public health leaders are encouraging families to get everyone 5 years and older fully vaccinated, including booster shots if eligible, and wear a mask indoors when around those not in your household.

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