New Covid-19 Vaccines Booster
Is Now Available
The Moderna and Pfizer bivalent Covid-19 vaccine boosters are now available at Fairfax Health Department vaccine clinics, according to the Fairfax Health Department that covers the City of Falls Church. A statement stipulates that “appointments are strongly encouraged, as there may be wait times for walk-in service.”
Appointments for getting the new updated booster from the Fairfax Health can be made at www.vaccines.gov and www.vacunas.gov.
On the subject of why to get the new booster, the Fairfax Health Department reports the following:
“More than 90 percent of Covid-19 cases are currently caused by the highly transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. The new updated booster targets Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, as well as the original Covid-19 strain.
“Recent data suggests Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness at preventing infection or severe illness wanes over time, especially for certain groups of people, such as people ages 65 years and older and people with immunocompromised conditions. The emergence of Covid-19 variants further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against Covid-19.”
“CDC recommends Covid-19 vaccines for everyone ages 6 months and older, and boosters for everyone 5 years and older, if eligible.”
September 11 Memorial Service Set Sunday AM
The September 11 Memorial Service will be held this Sunday, September 11 at 11 a.m. honoring the almost 3,000 lives lost on 9-11-2001, in New York at the twin towers of the World Trade Center, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and in Arlington, Virginia at the Pentagon Building.
It will be held at the National Memorial Cemetery, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042. The September 11 Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery is located near the traffic light at S West Street and Lee Highway.
The featured keynote speaker will be State Sen. Chap Petersen.
There will also be a speech by local resident Major Joanna Forbes, a U.S. Army Minister and a performance by the Falls Church Concert Band.
The ceremony is sponsored by the Falls Church American Legion Post 130, the Falls Church Area Veterans Council, the Catholic War Veterans and the National Memorial Cemetery
State Del. Special Election Set Jan. 10; Frisch Running
Fairfax State Del. Mark Keam announced this week he is stepping down from his seat in the Virginia General Assembly after representing Tysons, Vienna, and Oakton for over a decade.
In an email message to supporters, Keam announced this morning (Tuesday) that he has submitted his resignation to Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert in order to work in President Joe Biden’s administration.
Karl Frisch, who represents Providence District on the Fairfax County School Board, announced his candidacy almost immediately, positioning himself, he said in a statement, as “a progressive fighter who will oppose Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s agenda.”
Frische said, “We need someone who will stand up to Governor Youngkin and the far-right — someone who will work every day to protect our world-class public schools, defend reproductive freedom, build an economy that works for everyone, prevent gun violence, heal our planet, and preserve our democracy.”
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Holly Seibold was going to challenge Keam for the Democratic nomination in 2023, when all 100 House of Delegates seats will be up for grabs.
Founder and executive director of the nonprofit Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelters (BRAWS), which delivers menstrual supplies and clothes to those in need, Seibold has confirmed that she is now planning to compete for Keam’s seat in the special election.
Originally elected to the House of Delegates in 2009, Keam was the first Asian-born immigrant and first Korean American to serve in the General Assembly.
Arlington Awards to Clark, Riley & Silverman
On Thursday, November 10 at noon, the 29th annual Spirit of Community Awards and Luncheon will bring together business, civic, and philanthropic leaders, as well as Arlingtonians from all walks of life, for a celebration of individuals who have made Arlington a better home for everyone. This year’s celebration will be the first in-person event in three years.
For the first time in 29 years, three extraordinary people will be honored with The William T. Newman Spirit of Community Award. Individually and collectively, these recipients represent the passion, commitment, and community advocacy that define the Award and the absolute best vision of what Arlington can be. The award recipients are Portia Clark, a community organizer and advocate, particularly for youth, for three decades; Mark Riley, who oversees the Arlington Turkey Trot, which benefits local safety net organizations; and Dr. Mike Silverman, the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Virginia Hospital Center.
