In this Issue…
Schedule Vaccine Appointment for Children Ages 5-11 - This week, the CDC approved a Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 years old, which will be available by appointment at the Fairfax County Health Department, pharmacies, and primary care doctors. Please see the Health Department’s most recent blog for more details on this long-awaited vaccine as well as how to schedule an appointment below.
Other News and Information
- November is National Family Caregivers Month
- America Recycles Day Contest (November 8)
- Redistricting Public Hearing (November 9)
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Schedule Vaccine Appointment for Children Ages 5-11 - This week, the CDC approved a Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 years old, which will be available by appointment at the Fairfax County Health Department, pharmacies, and primary care doctors. Please see the Health Department’s most recent blog for more details on this long-awaited vaccine as well as how to schedule an appointment below.
I have heard from many of you who have eagerly awaited the approval of this vaccine for your children. This approval will hopefully mean less virus transmission in schools and more class times for students who have had to quarantine. Parents can see availability of vaccine and schedule an appointment for their child via vaccines.gov. Make sure to indicate in the search function that you are looking for Pfizer pediatric vaccine since it is the only vaccine available for children 5-11 years old. Here is an excerpt from our Health Department’s blog on other ways you can schedule a pediatric vaccine:
There are also multiple opportunities to get COVID-19 vaccine in Fairfax. Most sites will be providing vaccine by appointment only at this time. These include:
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Pediatric and Family Medicine Providers: call your child’s doctor to make an appointment.
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Pharmacies, grocery stores, and urgent care facilities: visit vaccines.gov (www.vacunas.gov for Spanish-speakers) to search for a vaccine appointment.
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Health Department Vaccination Centers: visit the website to make an appointment, or call 703-324-7404 if you need assistance.
- Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, 22035
- Mount Vernon District Office (Gerry Hyland Government Center), 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, 22309
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Tysons Community Vaccination Center, 7950 Tysons Corner Center, Tysons: Visit here or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 711). Appointment assistance is available in English, Spanish, and more than 100 other languages.
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Inova Children Vaccination Clinic: visit here to make an appointment for their weekend clinics at the Inova Center for Personalized Health, 8100 Innovation Park Drive, Fairfax.
Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or another adult at all community vaccination sites.
Pediatric vaccine is currently available by appointment only. This is primarily to make sure enough supply is available for the substantial demand locations are expecting with the initial rollout. While there is no known issue with vaccine supply, there may be initial delays with shipping time and recipient times may vary from one vaccine provider to another. Vaccine for children aged 5-11 are a different formula than vaccines for adults and therefore must be shipped separately to avoid mix up. Once more shipments are available and initial demand is fulfilled, walk-in options will likely be provided. Pharmacies follow different guidelines set by their corporate entities and may have a different policy for scheduling.
The FCHD is working closely with our partners at Fairfax County Public Schools and Fairfax City Public Schools to think through other ways to provide vaccination opportunities for students.
If you have questions about the vaccine or scheduling your appointment, I encourage you to call your health care provider or the services offering vaccine above.
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Other News and Information
- November is National Family Caregivers Month
- Demolition of old I-66 Bridges over Stringfellow Road (November 6)
- America Recycles Day Contest (November 8)
- Redistricting Public Hearing (November 9)
- Rotary Club of West Springfield Raffle (November 29)
- Shark Tank Technology Challenge Open to All High School Students (December 6)
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November is National Family Caregivers Month
At our Board meeting on November 9th I will be presenting the proclamation naming November as Family Caregivers Month in Fairfax County to recognize the critical role of family caregivers as partners in care and acknowledges the importance of providing services to support caregivers of older adults & adults with disabilities during a time that can be complicated and stressful. This year’s theme is “Caregiving Around the Clock.”
- Family caregiving spans across all generations and includes parents, adult children, siblings, partners, spouses, friends, and neighbors who provide care for a loved one.
- Caregivers manage a wide range of responsibilities, from household tasks to assisting with personal care, from helping with legal and financial matters to assisting with medical and nursing tasks often with little to no training.
- An estimated 53 million adults in the United States have provided care to a loved one within the past 12 months.
- In Virginia, 1 in 5 is a family caregiver.
- In Fairfax County, 59 percent of older residents provides unpaid care at home for a chronically ill, disabled, or aging loved one.
The Fairfax County Department of Family Services, honors family caregivers for their dedication, commitment, and compassionate care to their loved ones. Our Fairfax Area Agency on Aging, specializing in caring for older adults and adults with disabilities, provides caregivers with evidence-based programs, educational webinars, workshops, as well as resources and services focused on caregivers’ needs.
Demolition of old I-66 Bridges over Stringfellow Road (November 6)
Demolition of the old I-66 East and I-66 West bridges over Stringfellow Road will begin Saturday morning, November 6, with bridge deck demolition planned during daytime and early evening hours on the weekends of November 6-7 and 13-14. The work is part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.
Stringfellow Road under I-66 will be reduced to a single travel lane in each direction running in the southbound lanes beginning around 6 a.m. Saturday, November 6, to set up for demolition beginning around 9 a.m. Two-way traffic is planned to shift to the northbound lanes on Sunday and return to normal operations by 5 a.m. Monday, November 8. The Stringfellow Road ramps to and from I-66 East and West will also be closed during this period.
Drivers should expect delays if traveling in this area and consider using alternate routes.
What Neighbors Should Expect:
- Demolition of the concrete deck of the old I-66 West bridge over Stringfellow Road will occur between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 6, and Sunday, November 7.
- Demolition of the old bridges involves breaking up the old concrete bridge decks using jackhammers, saw cutters, and hoe rams, followed by removal of the steel bridge beams. The bridge beams will be removed with cranes during the overnight hours.
- The old I-66 East bridge deck over Stringfellow Road is scheduled to be demolished during the daytime and early evening hours November 13-14.
- After demolition of the old bridge spans is complete, the old bridge abutments will be demolished. This work will occur during daytime hours as much as feasible.
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Information about traffic impacts and demolition progress will be posted on outside.transform66.org/stringfellow.
What Drivers Should Expect:
Saturday, November 6, through Monday, November 8
Stringfellow Road North and South between Fair Lakes Boulevard and Westbrook Drive/Village Square Drive
- Beginning around 6 a.m. Saturday, Stringfellow Road will be reduced to one travel lane in each direction using the southbound lanes.
- Two-way traffic will shift to the northbound travel lanes on Sunday.
- All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.
Ramp from I-66 West to Stringfellow Road
Ramp from Stringfellow Road to I-66 East
- The ramps will be closed beginning around 6 a.m. Saturday.
- The ramps will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.
All work is weather dependent and will be rescheduled if inclement conditions occur.
Weekly updates will be available at Transform66.org and on Twitter @VaDOTNOVA. To receive project updates automatically by email, sign up here.
America Recycles Day Contest (November 8)
Fairfax County's celebrations for America Recycles Day includes a poster contest open to all. Please review the announcement and entry form and enter your submission by November 8, 2021.
Poster Contest Rules:
- Entries can be submitted by snail mail, email, or delivered in person to 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 458, Fairfax, VA 22035
- Entries must arrive at the Government Center no later than midnight on Monday, November 8, 2021
- Entries can be on paper or digital
- Entries should be in full color and no larger than 11 X17 (hard copy) or in PNG digital file format
- By submitting an entry, the designer/author agrees to allow Fairfax County to use the image
- Contest rules and schedule are subject to change w/o notice, up to and including cancellation of the contest
- Winners will be announced on Monday, November 15, 2021
Redistricting Public Hearing (November 9)
The Board of Supervisors will hold a Nov. 9 public hearing to consider 64 proposed redistricting plans. Submit input or comments on any of these plans before the public hearing, as well as offer testimony at the hearing. While I am not sure how any citizen would offer comments on 64 different maps in 3 or 5 minutes, I recommend citizens focus their comments on the five maps endorsed by the Redistricting Advisory Committee.
Comment should also focus on the number of districts – currently there are nine and we are allowed by legislation to go up to 12. I currently do not see the justification to increase the number of budgets given the fiscal impacts of the increase in terms of direct and indirect costs. For more information, click here.
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Rotary Club of West Springfield Raffle (November 29)
The Rotary Club of West Springfield Fall Fundraiser and Holiday Cash Raffle will offer $3,000 in prizes with net proceeds split between the Red Cross (for hurricane victims) and assistance for Afghan refugees settling in our area. Raffle tickets are 10 for $25, 25 for $50, or 60 for $100. Here's the link.
Tickets can only be purchased online and a processing fee will automatically be added. Donations (with or without ticket purchases) can also be made online with a processing fee added. You are welcome to donate by mailing a check to the Club (P.O. Box 2097, Springfield 22152) made out to the Rotary Club of West Springfield Foundation.
The raffle will be held virtually November 30. We hope you will take this opportunity for a chance to win some extra cash before the holiday season, but more importantly, provide much needed support to Afghan refugees and the victims of Hurricane Ida.
Shark Tank Technology Challenge Open to All High School Students (December 6)
Calling all high school students! The Fairfax Area 50+ Technology Committee has announced this year’s Shark Tank Technology Challenge with a focus on new or improved existing technology that will have a positive impact in the lives of older adults, adults with disabilities, wounded warriors, or caregivers. Students are encouraged to consider projects that offer assistance in the following areas:
- Active free time activities.
- Participation in the arts.
- Caregiving.
Students can submit an innovative or creative project as individual or a team. The deadline to submit the initial proposal is Dec. 6. Final proposals are due Feb. 22, 2022. The Shark Tank event will be held in April 2022. The winning projects will receive a cash prize. More details are available at Fairfax Area Student “Shark Tank” Technology Challenge.
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