health department

Arlington County, CDC Caution Against Halloween Trick-or-Treating

By Scott Fields

In a year that has been more trick than treat, traditional Halloween activities may be next on the chopping block.

Arlington County has not yet issued an official directive for Halloween this year. However, Arlington’s Public Health Director Dr. Reuben Varghese is cautioning against participation in trick-or-treating or other traditional Halloween activities due to the pandemic.

In a virtual COVID-19 town hall on Friday, Varghese expressed optimism about Halloween, under the right circumstances. He said revelers should observe six-foot distances between people or groups, and individuals who show any signs of illness should not be out and about.

“Those are going to be some of the things that parents are still going to have to think about,” Varghese said. “I think there are ways to do it, but it’s going to probably be on a more limited scale and making sure that people [know] what’s more important, the candy or the costuming.”

On Tuesday, the CDC and the VDH released guideline for participating in Halloween activities this year. Both listed high, moderate and low-risk activities in the guidelines while reminding everyone to wear a mask or cloth face covering, and to practice social distancing and proper hand washing.

The high-risk activities the CDC and VDH suggest to avoid include door to door trick-or-treating, where treats are handed out, or attending crowded events or parties, such as indoor costume parties or indoor haunted houses. Both also advise against going on hayrides or tractor rides with people outside of your household.

The CDC and VDH also offer a variety of low-risk activity ideas that includes carving or decorating pumpkins with family or at a distance with neighbors or friends, decorating your house, and virtual costume contests.

“The best way to avoid becoming infected is to avoid being exposed to the virus altogether,” VDH said. “This is particularly important for people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.”

In Alexandria, trick-or-treating will be allowed, as the city is not regulating the holiday, Washingtonian reported last week. Arlington County similarly does not set official trick-or-treating times nor has it, in the past, set any Halloween-specific regulations.

Nationally, a number of cities and states — like Chicago, New York, and Arkansas — have said they will not cancel Halloween festivities outright, though many are encouraging revelers to follow existing safety guidelines.

Los Angeles made headlines at the beginning of the month for initially banning trick-or-treating and other activities. However, public health officials reversed course a day later and merely recommended canceling trick-or-treating, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Health Matters: Will You Trust a COVID-19 Vaccine?

By Dr. George Hwang

Health Matters is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

“A vaccine that nobody wants to take is not very useful.”

If there were a safe and effective vaccine against COVID, why wouldn’t people take it? After all, the virus has claimed 200,000 American lives, shut down schools and businesses and affected almost every aspect of our lives. The fact that scientists have been able to develop vaccine candidates in mere months after sequencing SARS-CoV-2’s genetic code is nothing short of a medical marvel. However, our country’s hyper-polarizing climate has thrust the rapid vaccine progress into the political ring, resulting in rising public distrust.

There’s a reason progress on the vaccine has been so fast. The Trump administration implemented “Operation Warp Speed” (OWS) five months ago, which aims to produce 300 million doses of vaccines by January 2021 with an approved budget of $10 billion.

So far, OWS results seem promising. There are nine vaccines in phase 3 trials, the final phase before submitting for FDA approval. For details on how clinical trial phases work click here. Frontrunners include Moderna and Pfizer, which use inactivated coronavirus fragments to induce an immune response, and AstraZeneca, which uses an adenovirus to carry coronavirus genes into cells, provoking an immune response.

Even with promising results, the public remains nervous. A new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll showed 62% expressing concern that political pressure from Trump would force the FDA to approve a vaccine without ensuring safety and efficacy. Less than half (46%) would get vaccinated if a vaccine were approved by the FDA before the election. Another poll from STAT echoed the KFF poll, with 78% worried that vaccine approval is driven by politics more than science.

The integrity of the FDA has been put in question, catching the ire of administration, scientists and the American public. On one hand, Trump has claimed an FDA ‘deep state’ that is committed to thwart his reelection by delaying a vaccine until after the election. On the other hand, scientists and the public are increasingly skeptical of the FDA, as the agency pushed out Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for hydroxychloroquine after Trump touted it. The EUA was later rescinded.

More recently, the day after Trump called convalescent plasma a “medical breakthrough” the FDA gave plasma an EUA. It was promptly pointed out that misleading statistics overdramatized plasma’s benefit and the statement was later rescinded… via Twitter.

The mounting criticism of the FDA being controlled by the White House reached such a fever pitch that last week, in an opinion column in USA Today, eight career scientist at the FDA made a pledge that their work would continue unimpeded and independent of political influence. They stated “if the agency’s credibility is lost because of real or perceived interference, people will not rely on the agency’s safety warnings” and later adding “We and our career staff do the best by public health when we are the decision makers, arriving at those decisions based on our unbiased evaluation of the scientific evidence.”

Big Pharma is far from exempt. Many scientists say these vaccine makers need to be more transparent about how vaccine trials are run and reporting adverse events. In normal circumstances, drug companies hold clinical trial results precious in order to guard intellectual property and maintain competitive advantage. However, critics say that American taxpayers are entitled to know the details since the federal government has spent nearly $10 billion as part of OWS.

The most recent example of transparency (or perhaps lack thereof) is the incidence of a rare but lethal spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis in AstraZeneca’s Phase 3 trial, which immediately halted the trial. Trial shutdowns are common, and perhaps this instance demonstrates that drug companies are willing to slow down warp speed for the sake of patient safety. However, many are upset is that the shutdown was announced in a closed private meeting with investors and was actually leaked by STAT News.

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Purple Lounge Back in Business After Liquor License Restored

By ARLnow.com

Purple Lounge is resuming operations after reaching a settlement with Virginia ABC for the restoration of its liquor license.

Six people have been shot in violence linked to the business at 3111 Columbia Pike since last September, including a double shooting late last month and a triple shooting, in which one person was killed, in June. The continued violence, complaints from neighbors, and repeated code violations led Virginia ABC to suspend Purple Lounge’s license to serve alcohol earlier this month.

As a result of a settlement this week the business can resume serving alcohol — but with a number of restrictions.

The restrictions include “stopping all sales and consumption of alcohol at 12:45 a.m.,” “closure of the business no later than 1:00 a.m. and no reopening sooner than 8:00 a.m.,” and keeping four certified security guards on duty — including in the violence-prone parking lot — when the lounge is open at night.

In a press release Wednesday night, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said the county would have preferred the business been fully closed by Virginia ABC. She noted that further violations, however, could result in a permanent loss of Purple Lounge’s ABC license.

More from the county press release:

Today, Arlington County officials were informed of a settlement agreement reached between the management of the Purple Restaurant and Lounge and the Virginia ABC. Arlington County is not a party to this settlement.

“We are very disappointed that ABC did not fully close or revoke the liquor license for The Purple Lounge.  We view the result in this matter as only a partial step towards ensuring our community’s safety, which is our primary concern,” Libby Garvey, Chair of the Arlington County Board noted. “The restrictions now in place, if followed, at least offer a path forward. The penalties for failure to adhere to the restrictions include permanent loss of licensure. Our police and public health officials will work closely with Virginia ABC to ensure that this settlement is strictly followed. Our staff will be conducting regular visits and monitoring activity inside and outside of the Purple Lounge to ensure full compliance.” Community members who observe behaviors believed to be outside of the negotiated agreement are urged to contact Virginia ABC or the Arlington County Police Department.

On September 1, following a series of disturbing events at the Purple Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge (Purple Lounge), the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (“ABC”) issued an Order of Summary Suspension, temporarily suspending its alcohol licenses.

After an investigation, Virginia ABC cited two violations against the Purple Lounge relating to its failure to take reasonable measures to prevent violence on the property, and the Purple Lounge’s adverse effects on neighboring properties.  A formal hearing was scheduled to occur on September 16-17th regarding the status of the Purple Lounge’s liquor license as a result of these charges. Possible outcomes ranged from full reinstatement of the Purple Lounge’s ABC licenses, partial reinstatement of the Purple Lounge’s ABC licenses with restricted hours, or full revocation of the Purple Lounge’s ABC licenses.

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County Board Votes to Discontinue Sidewalk Crowding Ordinance

By ARLnow.com

Something exceedingly rare happened during last night’s County Board meeting.

A broad spectrum of Arlington civic life — including progressives, the Chamber of Commerce, business owners, county commissions and a local civic association — all lined up to speak against an ordinance recommended for approval by county staff — one that was temporarily approved by the Board a month and a half ago.

The Board voted 4-1 against extending the sidewalk crowding ordinance, which was approved on July 31 on an emergency basis and will now expire at the end of this month.

The ordinance was passed in a closed County Board session amid growth in coronavirus cases among younger Arlington residents, and outcry against large crowds lined up outside popular Clarendon bars and outdoor venues, as seen in photos posted to social media. It prohibited congregating in a group of more than three in designated zones in Clarendon, making violations a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of up to $100.

While the county’s health director and other local experts agreed that such crowding presented a risk of virus transmission, it was also not necessarily seen as riskier than other activities that remained perfectly legal — dining inside at a restaurant, driving with a group in a car, etc.

With the rate of new cases now down from the summer peak, the urgency with which the emergency ordinance passed was replaced at last night’s meeting by a more sober assessment of whether enforcement was worth the effort.

A county staff presentation suggested it was.

“Clarendon has seen an influx of patrons 10 p.m.-2 a.m.,” the presentation said. “Efforts to spread out long lines of patrons by officers and restaurant security have been met with defiance, confrontation, and hostility.”

County Manager Mark Schwartz, however, revealed that no fines — “zero… the number between negative one and one,” he said as County Board member Christian Dorsey sought clarification — have been issued so far, despite the posting of signs and an ongoing public education effort.

Community members who spoke before the County Board’s hearing were unanimous in their skepticism of the ordinance.

Gillian Burgess, chair of the Arlington County Bicycle Advisory Committee, started her remarks by listing the names of Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and others.

“There are but a few of the Black Americans who lost their lives due to minor infractions,” Burgess said. “After a summer of reckoning with America’s and Arlington’s racist past, we must acknowledge the role of over-broad laws and ordinances in allowing police a pretext to stop Black people and people of color.”

She went on to say, as also argued by Arlington Transportation Commission Chair Chris Slatt, that the ordinance prohibits common pedestrian activity, singling out those on foot.

The ordinance “seems to make it an infraction for me to walk down a specified sidewalk with my three young children,” she said. “It almost certainly would be an infraction for the four of us to wait at a bus stop on those sidewalk.”

“I support limiting the spread of COVID and urge the County Board to use every tool in its toolbox to support getting vulnerable children back into schools… this ordinance is not a tool that helps with this problem,” she concluded. “I urge the Board to repeal this.”

Joining in the criticism were representatives from the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Arlington Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association, as well as local business owners.

Spider Kelly’s owner Nick Freshman, speaking on behalf of business owners in the Clarendon area, said the ordinance is doing little to stop the spread of the virus while hurting main street businesses that are in danger of closing.

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Morning Poll: Will You Be Driving an Electric Car By 2030?

By ARLnow.com

Once can hardly go a block in some parts of Arlington without spotting a Tesla, but the vast majority of vehicles on local streets are still powered by fossil fuels.

The proportion of electric vehicles on the road is expected to increase, albeit gradually. The Edison Electric Institute expects 3.5 million electric vehicles to be sold annually in the U.S. in 2030; that compares to the total of 17 million vehicles sold last year.

The switch to electric will have a number of advantages: less noise along busy roads, lower operating and maintenance costs, and a cleaner environment.

From a WTOP article yesterday:

Switching to electric vehicles would save lives, time and money, and the D.C. area would be one of the prime beneficiaries, a new study finds.

The American Lung Association’s Road to Clean Air report placed D.C. among the top 10 metropolitan areas that would benefit from a switchover to electric cars, buses and trucks by the middle of the century.

Compared with a “business as usual” scenario, the D.C. area would see about 175 fewer premature deaths a year by 2050; nearly 3,000 fewer asthma attacks; about 12,000 fewer lost workdays per year and more than $2 million in public health benefits, the association said in a statement.

Today we’re wondering: how many Arlingtonians are planning to buy an electric vehicle over the next 10 years?

Photo via Twitter

Coronavirus Cases Down, Hospitalizations Up as New Patients Trend Older

By ARLnow.com

A month ago, new coronavirus cases were on the rise in Arlington, amid a lull in hospitalizations and deaths.

Now, cases have been on a downward slope since last weekend, but hospitalizations and fatalities continue to rise, as those getting infected are increasingly those on the older half of the demographic chart.

The Virginia Dept. of Health reported one new COVID-related death overnight, bringing the seven-day total of fatalities to six. Two new hospitalizations were also reported, bringing the seven-day total to 14; it had previously reached a nearly three-month high of 18 on Sunday.

With 18 new cases overnight, the county’s cumulative total of cases, hospitalizations and deaths now stands at 3,605, 472 and 142, respectively. A total of 113 new cases have been reported over the past seven days, compared to 156 as of a week ago.

There is usually a lag between a rise in new cases and a rise in hospitalizations, but there might be other reasons why since mid-August more people are being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 locally.

For one, those getting sick are getting older. Whereas people under 40 represented 70% of new cases between July 19 and August 19, that same age range has accounted for 56% of new cases since.

Additionally, two new COVID-19 outbreaks were reported in long-term care facilities in Arlington last month, according to VDH.

One started on Aug. 5 at the Sunrise of Arlington facility on N. Glebe Road; that has sickened fewer than five people and resulted in no reported fatalities so far. Another that started on Aug. 19 at the Sunrise at Bluemont Park facility on Wilson Blvd has sickened 20 people and resulted in at least one death, the state health department reports.

(Numbers fewer than five are “suppressed to preserve anonymity.”)

Outbreaks at long-term care facilities were responsible for nearly 500 cases and dozens of deaths in Arlington during the peak of the spring epidemic.

Health Matters: Flu Shots Critical to Attenuate ‘Twindemic’

By Dr. George Hwang

Health Matters is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

Despite our best efforts, SARS-CoV-2 has endured long enough to welcome influenza’s 2020-2021 campaign and there is rising concern that even a mild flu season could overload hospital systems already dealing with COVID-19.

This so-called “twindemic,” while sounding alarmist yet with rational undertones, can be attenuated by the simple preventive measure of vaccination.

To put this in perspective, influenza is historically one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States annually. The 2019-2020 flu season was mild, yet resulted in 740,000 hospitalizations and up to 62,000 deaths nationwide, 4,500 of which were in Virginia. The most recent severe flu season was 2017-18 with 810,000 hospitalizations, and the CDC estimates that vaccination prevented 7.1 million illnesses, 3.7 million medical visits, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 8,000 deaths. Even though influenza has become normalized and even trivialized to the public, the ramifications of the virus on our healthcare system are significant and we are fortunate to have vaccines that work.

Most individuals who get the flu recover without serious complications. However, pregnant women, elderly, very young and anybody with certain chronic medical conditions are more susceptible to hospitalization and death if infected. While there are no reported cases of simultaneous influenza and COVID infection, it is reasonable to infer that the consequences would be dire.

Vaccination is proven to reduce prevalence of influenza and mitigate symptoms, leading to less outpatient visits, hospitalizations and intensive care admissions. By comparison, COVID has no vaccine and has claimed more than 183,000 lives nationwide and in Arlington has resulted in 460 hospitalizations and 140 deaths in just a few months. COVID rates have trended downward in Arlington, but anything that could spike COVID or flu cases such as not-so-socially-distant maskless gatherings, rallies, protests and crowded bars could unfavorably tip the scales and overwhelm the healthcare system.

So in addition to hand washing, facemasks and social distancing, we should add getting the flu vaccine to the list of things we can do to help during the pandemic.  Seems simple enough, but proactive flu fighting presents a few big challenges.

Only 47% of Americans got the flu vaccine last year. CDC Director Robert Redfield stated in a recent WebMD interview that his goal for the upcoming flu season is 65%, and he plans to accomplish that by expediting vaccine availability (they have been available since mid August), increasing vaccine production to nearly 200 million (up from 85 million last year), and having the CDC purchase 10 million doses (up from 500,000) to give to uninsured adults.

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State Suspends Liquor License of Lounge That Has Been the Scene of Multiple Shootings

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Purple Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge has had its permit to serve beer, wine and liquor suspended by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.

The nightlife venue at 3111 Columbia Pike was the scene of a double shooting over the weekend. A 33-year-old Maryland man, who was wounded by armed security guards after allegedly firing into a crowd in the parking lot, has been charged in the case.

Purple Lounge was also the scene of a shooting last September, in which a man was shot in the abdomen outside the venue. That and a myriad of complaints and violations led the Arlington County Board to revoke its live entertainment permit in December.

After the latest shooting, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey told ARLnow that the county would “explore all the options” with respect to Purple Lounge. Today, the county announced the suspension of the ABC license in a brief statement.

Following a series of disturbing events associated with the Purple Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge, LLC on Columbia Pike, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority issued an Order of Summary Suspension temporarily suspending its alcohol licenses effective September 1, 2020. Arlington County fully supports this action and will continue to work collaboratively with Virginia ABC throughout this process.

The incident on Sunday morning (Aug. 30) at the Purple Lounge is the latest in a series of disturbances associated with the establishment. The County Manager is working with the County Board to explore all the options available to us within and around the property.

Arlington County is a safe place to live, work and play, and we are committed to addressing problems that present potential threats to our public health and safety.

Virginia ABC’s summary of its decision to suspend the license contains additional details about the weekend shooting and another shooting earlier this summer.

The report says that a dispute between venue staff and a group of people who were denied entry into the lounge just before 5 a.m. on Sunday prompted one of the members of the group to pull out of a gun and start firing in the air. That, in turn, led to a security guard firing back, striking one person in the shoulder and grazing another’s neck.

The report also says that a previously-reported triple shooting in June along Columbia Pike was the result of a dispute that started at Purple Lounge.

“On June 28, 2020, there was an incident of gunfire where following an altercation inside the establishment the suspect drove away from the area and then fired a gun into the crowd in the parking lot of the business leaving two people injured,” Virginia ABC said.

Arlington County Police did not previously reveal that shooting’s connection with Purple Lounge. The ABC report does not reference the fact that a third person was shot and killed in a car during the incident, a crime for which two people were subsequently arrested.

Beyer and Garvey to Trump Campaign: Wear Masks in Arlington, Please

By ARLnow.com

Two top local Democratic elected officials are calling on the Trump administration and the president’s Rosslyn-based campaign to wear masks while in Arlington County.

Rep. Don Beyer and Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey sent a letter today to Trump’s chief of staff and campaign manager, imploring them to follow public health guidelines at campaign headquarters and at events.

The letter was prompted by Vice President Pence’s June visit to Trump HQ, in which he and dozens of mask-less staffers were photographed crowded together, as well as by a recent presidential speech in a Pentagon City hotel ballroom, in which few of the conservative activists in attendance wore masks.

Trump’s Rosslyn headquarters was temporarily shut down in July due to a COVID-19 case, according to Politico.

“It is deeply important to us that everyone when they are in Arlington, including the President and personnel affiliated with him, adhere to public health guidelines requiring physical distancing and face coverings in indoor settings,” Beyer and Garvey wrote in the jointly-signed letter. “We beseech you to prioritize the health of the people around you, including your own staff and, especially, the residents of Arlington whom we represent. The future health of our community may depend on it.”

Trump, Beyer and Garvey are all up for reelection in November.

The full letter is below.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Groups to Review Arlington’s Form of Gov’t — “Two citizen engagement groups have launched exploratory projects that delve back in Arlington’s racial history. The Arlington Civic Federation last month assembled a task force to review that and other questions about modernization — such as whether the county manager should be elected. And a new group called the Arlington Alliance for Representative Government is planning to boost political participation through ‘education, policy development, advocacy and innovation.'” [Falls Church News-Press]

Latest on Intel Official’s Death — “The wife of a high-ranking CIA operative who shot and killed himself two weeks after their wedding has claimed that he was intending to murder her and ‘take me to the afterlife.’ Sara Corcoran, 46, said that Anthony Ming Schinella, the most senior military affairs analyst in U.S. intelligence, was suffering from PTSD after being involved in four wars, and after almost 30 years in the CIA. Schinella, 52, died on June 14 in Arlington, Vi”rginia.” [Daily Mail]

Dove Rescued from Car Grille — “This very lucky dove is safe thanks to Officer Byrnes! The dove was hit by a car and got stuck in the grille. Officer Byrnes was able to safely remove her and transported the dove to a local wildlife rehabber, who will release her back into the wild when she’s feeling better.” [@AWLAArlington/Twitter]

More on Prosecutor’s Supreme Court Petition — “Dehghani-Tafti’s motion is supported by an amicus brief from 62 prosecutors around the country, including the district attorneys in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. It’s also supported by Jeff Haislip, the Fluvanna County, Va., prosecutor who is chair of the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Services Council, and the prosecutors in Alexandria city, Fairfax and Loudoun counties.” [Washington Post]

APS Modernizing Black History Teachings — “Glad to see @APSVirginia will join 15 other school divisions in teaching a new African American History course this fall. Through 1970s VA was using textbooks with images like this, teaching a false narrative about the reality of Black Virginians. Time to tell the true story.” [@AdamEbbin/Twitter]

APS Going Back to School Next Week — “Arlington Public Schools will start the 2020-2021 academic year with all-virtual learning for all students. The school will continue with online-only education until at least early October, midway through the first quarter of the school year, at which time officials will assess the possibility of reopening based on public health data.” [Washington Post]

Week-Long Drop in Coronavirus Cases Reverses

By ARLnow.com

(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.

The cumulative total of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Arlington since the start of the pandemic currently stands at 3,492, 458 and 137, respectively, according to VDH.

Despite some peaks and valleys, the overall trend in new cases in Arlington has been up since late June, with a preponderance of cases among those in the 18-29 age range — as noted by Arlington Public Health Director Dr. Reuben Varghese during a County Board meeting earlier this week.

“We’ve been seeing emergency room visits also going up for COVID-like illness,” Varghese said. “You look at the overall picture and this has not being going in the right way, and that’s why I’ve been imploring people: stay at home as much as possible.”

The timing of the uptrend roughly coincides with the lifting of state-imposed restrictions, as Virginia entered Phase 2 and the current Phase 3 of its reopening, following more stringent orders during the spring.

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among those waiting in line outside popular Clarendon bars, Arlington County police are set to start enforcing the county’s emergency sidewalk crowding ordinance tonight.

One question on the mind of some is how the start of college might affect Arlington’s numbers among young people.

Ryan Hudson, spokesman for the county’s Public Health Division, said that students from Arlington attending school elsewhere would most likely not count in Arlington’s numbers, while those attending college and residing in the county — Marymount students, for instance — would, in fact, count as an Arlington case.

“Lab reports for a COVID-19 test are reported to the local health district dependent on the residence of the patient,” Hudson explained. “So, if a student and/or school records a dorm, apartment, etc. in Arlington as their residence, then Arlington County Public Health Division could receive the lab report. If the student’s test lists a permanent home address that is outside of Arlington County, the result would go to that local health district.”

“Typically, public health will ask for the residence where a patient is currently living, as that will be more indicative of where transmission took place,” Hudson continued. “So, for college students, they would likely be reported as residents of where the college is when it is in session.”

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