For Immediate Release: December 30, 2020
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) strongly urge residents to stay home as much as possible during the current surge of COVID-19 cases in our community. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are increasing in Alexandria. Take immediate and ongoing action to control the spread by wearing a mask over both your nose and mouth, staying home unless it’s necessary to go out, and washing your hands frequently. Without these critical steps, additional lives may be at risk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended that health care personnel be among the first recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine. Health care personnel are defined as paid and unpaid persons working in health care settings, including acute care facilities, long-term care facilities, home health care, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, mobile clinics, and outpatient facilities such as dialysis centers and physician’s offices. This can include emergency medical service personnel, doctors, nurses, technicians, therapists, dentists, and others. Health care personnel are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19, and many have other risk factors that could lead to severe illness and death. Vaccinating health care personnel protects them, their households, and their patients from possible exposure, and ensures their ability to continue providing vital medical care and support for the public. Most health care workers have already been contacted about vaccination availability through their employers or affiliated health care facilities. Health care workers who work within the city limits of Alexandria have not been contacted should contact AHD's hotline at 703.746.4988 or email alexcovid19@vdh.virginia.gov.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, CDC and the Virginia Department of Health recommend that individuals who are pregnant, lactating, or intend to become pregnant should receive the COVID-19 vaccine when they meet the priority group requirements as recommended by ACIP. There is no data to suggest that any of the vaccines available could be harmful to pregnancy. Pregnant individuals, particularly those with other medical conditions, such as obesity or diabetes, are at greater risk of severe illness, intensive care unit admission, ventilation support, and death if they are infected with COVID-19. They may also be at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth. Authorization of the use of the COVID-19 vaccines has included rigorous testing and clinical trials in order to ensure their safety for pregnant individuals and the public, as recommended by ACIP.
COVID-19 vaccine recipients are monitored for possible side effects through several systems. The CDC’s V-SAFE health checker app requests daily check-ins from vaccine recipients, and will provide a follow-up by phone for anyone who reports significant adverse events. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is an early warning system to detect possible safety problems with vaccines. The Vaccines and Medications in Pregnancy Surveillance System monitors the safety of vaccines during pregnancy. Additional safety resources can be found on the CDC’s web page.
The City and AHD strongly urge residents to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home with members of their households to reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 outbreaks, instead of attending gatherings or traveling. For tips about how to break the news that you won’t be participating in gatherings, download and print the City’s “Celebrate the Holidays Safely” flyer, which is available in English, Spanish, Amharic and Arabic. State Executive Order 72 remains in effect and includes the following requirements:
Everyone must remain in their place of residence between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. except for the purposes of obtaining food and goods, traveling to and from work, and for medical attention.
All parties, celebrations or social gatherings of any kind, whether they are indoors or outdoors, must be limited to 10 individuals.
Restaurants and bars must follow strict physical distancing and sanitization requirements. The on-site sale, consumption, and possession of alcohol remains prohibited after 10 p.m. in any restaurant, dining establishment, food court, brewery, microbrewery, distillery, winery, or tasting room. All restaurants, dining establishments, food courts, breweries, microbreweries, distilleries, wineries, and tasting rooms must close by midnight.
Masks are required for everyone ages 5 and older in all shared indoor settings and outdoor settings where 6 feet of physical distance cannot be maintained.
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 15 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 calling your close contacts if you test positive for COVID-19. Learn who to call and what to say from AHD's “ What to Do If You Get Sick” guidance, which is available in Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, and Farsi or this brief video. 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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