[Archived] City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; “V-Safe” After-Vaccination Health Checker; Virtual and In-Person School Planning Tips

­­For Immediate Release: January 5, 2021

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.

“V-safe” After-Vaccination Health Checker

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed the "v-safe" health monitoring tool to be used after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Persons scheduled for vaccinations (currently limited to health care workers and those in long-term care settings) will be given instructions for how to register and use v-safe after they have received their first dose of vaccine. V-safe uses text messaging and web surveys to perform daily health check-ins so the vaccine recipient can share any changes to their health since receiving the vaccine. The web-based tool notifies the CDC of any side effects shared by the recipient. When a check-in occurs, participants enter information about the dose received, including which vaccine was administered and when it was administered. The CDC web page offers step-by-step guidance about setting up and using the tool. Providing feedback through v-safe helps the CDC track and learn about the vaccines as more people receive them.    

Virtual and In-Person Learning Resources

As COVID-19 infection rates continue to surge in Alexandria, school will continue to be very different for parents and children. While decisions about school status are made by the Governor and individual school systems and schools, the CDC offers guidance and resources for parents to help navigate virtual learning and the process of eventually returning to in-person education. An at-home checklist is available to view online or download and print to help caregivers set up and plan for virtual or at-home learning, and how to support a child’s mental health and well-being. Another set of checklists provide guidance to prepare for in-person classes, guiding the conversation about masks and the mental health challenges that will accompany a return to a group environment. There are also resources to help with parenting children at each stage of maturity; coping with the stress and anxiety of the COVID-19 pandemic; children’s mental health; bullying prevention; and children and youth with special health care needs in emergencies.

Alexandria COVID-19 Data At-a-Glance

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.