As the pandemic continues to spread through Arlington’s population, at least for now, the days that could overburden public health facilities seem to be in the rearview mirror.

In a Sept. 20 update to county board members, Dr. Ruben Varghese, county public health director, said, “There’s still a lot of COVID out there, but fortunately, both prevention and treatment are available. We have more tools at our disposal.” .

For the past four weeks, Arlington has been in the “low” threat category as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This focuses primarily on the ability of communities to withstand surges in cases that could overwhelm treatment facilities.

“We’re doing very well,” Varghese said in that regard, noting that the CDC’s old criteria (levels of community transmission) would still rank Arlington in the “high” category. .

By Sept. 10, Arlington had recorded nearly 33,500 confirmed cases of COVID for the year, most of which were recorded earlier in the year, but still nearly double the 17,400 cases recorded throughout 2021. . The subspecies show a tendency to move easily from person to person without causing the carnage seen early in the pandemic.

County health officials have reported 55 deaths from COVID so far in 2022, including those who died directly from COVID and those who died from other causes but may have had COVID. The death toll remains controversial because it is almost impossible to distinguish between people with their system at the time. (He reported 102 COVID-related deaths in Arlington in 2021 and 181 in 2020.)

The 33,498 cases reported so far in 2022 may significantly underestimate the true number of people infected with the virus, some of which have occurred multiple times. reported to health authorities.

“Of course, we don’t know every case,” says Varghese.

In terms of vaccination coverage, Arlington officials report that 85.5% of eligible county residents have received at least one COVID vaccine, and 77.4% have received at least two doses. About 35,000 eligible county residents chose not to be vaccinated, according to county data.

Among adults, the 25-35 and 85-year-old groups have the lowest vaccination coverage among eligible individuals. Vaccination rates for children aged 5 to her 11 are also below the overall average.

Varghese doesn’t rule out a surge in the next few months as more residents spend more time indoors, but for now, based on current CDC scores, Northern Virginia, Suburbs of Maryland, the District of Columbia are all “green” and suck. – Threat level.

“Let’s hope so [continues] As long as possible,” says Varghese.