10 Months Since COVID-19 Arrived in Washington DC Metropolitan Area
It’s been 10 full months since SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has hit the Washington Metropolitan area in full force, causing closures, disruptions, chaos, and changing lives forever.
Our First Disinfection Case…
Universal Janitorial Services’s first disinfecting case for coronavirus was March 14, 2020 for a local insurance retail location. Since that time, we have provided over 80 one-time disinfecting jobs for the federal government, national security contractors, churches, schools, offices, gyms, retail, banks, and many others. Over half of those were confirmed COVID-positive. And we continue to provide daily preventative disinfecting services to many clients in the DC area, especially in high-traffic areas like private schools and churches.
States are currently rolling out vaccines as quick as possible with two manufacturers: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Maryland is in Phase 1B, which means front line responders, education staff, some government staff, those 75 and older, and many others are eligible to receive the first of two vaccinations, with the second being administered 28 days and 21 days respectively depending on the vaccine received.
Virginia is also in their Phase 1B, but it includes those 65 and older, and other classes of individuals.
As of January 25th. 2021, Washington DC is focused on those 65+ or older and those who work in a healthcare setting. So far, over a half million people in the DC region have received at least their first vaccine dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control, which represents about 10% of the population here.
Why the vaccine is not a permanent solution …
While 10% seems like a good start, the vaccine isn’t a permanent solution. Studies have shown that it will last at least 3 months, but without the long-term data, we don’t know yet the upper limits to the vaccines. We don’t know if it’ll last for months or years. Scientists are hoping for 2-3 years, but it’s likely this vaccine will settle into a seasonal pattern to where we need annual vaccines, like we do with influenza.
How to protect and stay safe …
Until we have concrete answers, we need to be diligent about our cleaning, disinfecting, social distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing. Universal will continue to be your go-to for your office janitorial, school cleaning, church cleaning, or other facility cleaning needs. Universal Janitorial Services is also certified to provide commercial disinfecting services. We also provide coaching and consulting to locations outside the DC area. Let us know how we can make your facility safer.
