The long-vacant Victory Center (5001 Eisenhower Avenue) has found new, temporary life as a major vaccination hub for Inova Health System that will open by the end of March.
The new center is the end result of what officials described as a “Herculean effort” at collaboration between Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria and Inova.
Restaurant workers in Alexandria just got moved up in the vaccination line thanks to a new prioritization from the Alexandria Health Department.
The change comes with recognition that many restaurant workers are unable to maintain safe distances from customers, putting them at increased risk of COVID-19.
Post-holidays, Mayor Justin Wilson said in a town hall last night that Alexandrians have done a good job adhering to COVID restrictions and it’s shown in slowly declining deaths and hospitalizations.
On paper, Alexandria has seen its death toll increase over the last week to a total of 123 deaths, but the Alexandria Health Department and Wilson noted that this was due to figures from the holidays being adjusted to include additional deaths believed to be caused by COVID-19.
Alexandria to Get Johnson & Johnson Vaccines Next Week — On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. Adding a third vaccine to Alexandria’s pandemic response is significant and will ultimately mean that more vaccines are available to protect more people… Johnson & Johnson vaccines will become available in Alexandra starting later this week.” [City of Alexandria]
Beyer, Kaine Introduce ‘The Cost of Police Misconduct Act’ — “Most Americans have no idea how much cities and counties they live in spend on police misconduct because cases are often settled in secret. The Cost of Police Misconduct Act would make these costs public, which we hope and believe would help save lives.” [Twitter]
A number of residents of the Ladrey Senior Highrise Apartments in Old Town received their second doses of the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday.
Delores Tyler was one of about 90 residents who got her second shot.
There have been three more coronavirus-related deaths in Alexandria, and the case count has reached 10,186, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
That’s 149 cases since Monday, continuing a downward trend in cases. Two of the deaths were in their 80s and one was in their 60s. One victim was a woman and two were men.
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson wants Governor Ralph Northam to include retail, personal care and restaurant workers in phase 1B of coronavirus vaccine distribution.
“Not only are these workers vital to the economic health and vitality of our communities, but the are, more often than not, those in our community who are bearing the burden of COVID-19 more acutely than others,” Wilson wrote in a letter to Northam.
Beyer Wants Federal Employees to Get Vaccine — “Our region has the largest concentration of federal employees. Many qualify as essential workers with local jurisdictions responsible for vaccinations. We’re asking the federal government to vaccinate feds via a separate federalized allocation to speed up vaccinations in the DMV.” [Twitter]
Alexandria Vaccinates 20,000 Residents — “On a hopeful note, Alexandria also hit the milestone this week of more than 20,000 residents vaccinated. AHD and private providers continue to vaccinate and work to schedule the tens of thousands of residents who pre-registered for vaccines.” [City of Alexandria]
More Than 20K Vaccines Distributed in Alexandria — “The latest update from the City on COVID-19: 20,726 doses administered to Alexandrians; 4,666 Alexandrians fully vaccinated (2.9%); Positive tests up 19 to 10,056 in the City (259 in last week); 7-day Positivity Rate steady at 6.4%; 1 new hospitalization.” [Twitter]
Beyer Elected Chair of House Committee of Space and Aeronautics — “Really exciting news: my colleagues have elected me chair of @HouseScience‘s Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee! I am ready and eager to boldly go forward with an ambitious space policy agenda in the 117th Congress.” [Twitter]
It might take until the summer until the COVID-19 vaccine is widely available in Alexandria, according to Mayor Justin Wilson.
With just 2,000 vaccine doses expected to be received weekly in the city and more than 36,000 residents on the waiting list, Wilson asked for patience over the weekend on Facebook. He also said that CVS pharmacies are being given a small supply of the vaccine.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria are at 10,037, and the number of deaths is 104.
That’s 293 cases more since this timer last week, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
