For Immediate Release: January 28, 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.
In the coming week, AHD and community providers will begin opening COVID-19 vaccine appointment slots to those ages 65 and up who have pre-registered using AHD's form. If you have already completed the form once, you should not fill it out again as duplicated entries require additional staff time to sort and clean. The City estimates that there are about 11,400 residents between ages 65-74, and about 6,700 residents ages 75 and older. Given the extremely limited weekly vaccine supply, and the need to simultaneously vaccinate frontline essential workers, it may be weeks to months before everyone in this group receives a vaccination. Please be patient. There are no walk-up appointments with AHD or any community provider. You must have an appointment to be seen. If you are ages 75 and older and have had difficulty scheduling your first dose appointment, please fill out this brief survey and AHD will follow up with you.
Today the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) launched a new text messaging system to ensure anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 in Virginia is notified of their result. The new system will send a text message from 804.336.3915 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The text provides rapid notification and encourages anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to stay home and take steps to protect their loved ones and others. The texts will never ask for personal information or require payment.
The message will contain information on how to use the COVIDWISE app, which allows you to anonymously notify your close contacts. AHD's Contact Tracing Team will also call to ensure that you have the resources and public health information you need to successfully isolate and notify your close contacts to ensure they are safe. Learn more about what happens after a positive COVID-19 test on the City’s “Get Tested” web page.
As COVID-19 cases continue to soar, AHD reminds Alexandrians to continue being vigilant about protective measures, including mask wearing. With the new, more contagious COVID-19 variants, consider double layering cloth masks while in public. Proper mask wearing is critical, such as covering both your nose and mouth, and limiting gaps. Masks with adjustable nose pieces can also help limit the amount of unprotected air flow. Choose masks with multiple layers of tightly woven fabrics such as cotton. The CDC has not issued official guidance on the effectiveness of wearing multiple masks at this time.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed all alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico on an import alert, in an effort to stop unsafe products from entering the U.S. market before being inspected. From April to December 2020, the FDA found that 84% of alcohol-based hand sanitizers coming from Mexico did not meet safety regulations, so they will be subject to heightened scrutiny by the FDA and could result in shipments being detained. The FDA has worked with U.S. retailers to remove products in violation from store shelves, and with the Mexican government, manufacturers, and retailers to encourage them to not produce or distribute dangerous products. Visit the FDA’s “ Safely Using Hand Sanitizer” web page for information about regulations and homemade hand sanitizer cautions.
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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