For Immediate Release: November 25, 2020
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) remind everyone that you are safest at home. Older adults and persons with underlying medical conditions are at greater risk for severe disease and are advised to minimize potential exposures as much as possible. To stop the spread of COVID-19, the state order and City ordinance require everyone to wear a mask over their noses and mouths in indoor public places and when at least 6 feet of physical distance cannot be maintained between those of different households in outdoor public places, with limited exceptions. Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively studying the long-term effects of COVID-19. Studies show that many organs, in addition to the lungs, can be affected, which can impact an individual’s overall health. Most people who are infected with COVID-19 make a full recovery, but some individuals can continue to have ongoing symptoms for weeks to months after recovery. Even mild cases can have persistent symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, chest pain or joint pain. Other long-term symptoms can include brain fog, muscle pains and palpitations. Less common, more serious long-term effects of infection can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, and nervous system, including loss of hair or rash, persistent loss of smell and taste, lung function and psychiatric effects. The CDC will continue to investigate these symptoms to understand their long-term significance.
As AHD develops plans for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, many have questions about what to expect when a vaccination is available. The CDC has developed a list of facts about COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines teach the body to recognize the coronavirus and fight it, which may cause normal immune responses like temporary fever or muscle aches. The recipient can still become infected if exposed to COVID-19 during the several weeks it takes for the body to build immunity. Vaccination will not lead to infection of COVID-19 and it will not cause a positive test result. Someone who has recovered from COVID-19 could potentially be reinfected, so they may also benefit from a vaccine. More studies will determine the duration of the vaccine’s effectiveness. Vaccines that contain mRNA will not alter the recipient’s DNA, but work with the body’s natural defenses to build immunity to COVID-19. The CDC web page offers additional resources containing the most up-to- date and accurate information regarding COVID-19 vaccines. AHD will monitor and report updates as more information is learned.
Going forward, this COVID-19 news release will not be published on City holidays unless there is a major announcement to share. In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all City of Alexandria government offices will be closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, and the COVID-19 news release will resume on Monday, November 30. Daily data will continue to be available at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.
The chart below, containing the seven-day moving average number of COVID-19 cases and the daily and cumulative case and fatality counts, provides detailed information about how preventive measures are impacting Alexandria's response to the pandemic. An interactive version is available at alexandriava.gov/114883. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, are available through links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.
AHD estimates that approximately 1 in 13 Alexandrians who tested positive for COVID-19 have required hospitalization. An estimated 66% of Virginia adults who become infected never have symptoms. The best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 remain wearing a mask in public, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others, and frequently washing your hands or carrying and using hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethyl alcohol. Help your loved ones and neighbors by answering a call from AHD if identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19, and download the Virginia Department of Health’s COVIDWISE app to be quickly and anonymously notified of likely exposure to the virus.
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