[Archived] City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; Guidance for Fully Vaccinated; Pre-registered Record Update; Restaurant Worker Prioritization; Guidance for Caregivers and Persons with Disabilities

City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; Guidance for Fully Vaccinated; Pre-registered Residents Asked to Update Records; Restaurant Workers Added to Phase 1b Prioritization; Guidance for Caregivers and Persons with Disabilities Requiring a High Level of Daily Care

­­For Immediate Release: March 8, 2021

The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) strongly urge residents to stay home as much as possible, wear a mask over both your nose and mouth, and wash your hands frequently. Pre-register to receive the vaccine and you’ll be notified once appointments are available. AHD estimates that approximately 1 in 20 Alexandrians who have tested positive for COVID-19 have required hospitalization, so without these critical steps, additional lives may be at risk. 

Guidance for Fully Vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. Those fully vaccinated:

• Should continue wearing a mask and maintaining physical distance when in public, when gathering with unvaccinated people at high risk of severe illness, or when gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one household. 
• Can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
• Can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• Do not need to stay away from others or get tested after exposure to someone with COVID-19 unless they develop symptoms.

Everyone, even those fully vaccinated, should continue to avoid medium and large gatherings, and delay domestic and international travel. If unsure about whether others are fully vaccinated, follow guidance as though they are not vaccinated. All existing City and state executive order requirements still apply.

Pre-registered Residents Asked to Update Records

Residents who pre-registered for the COVID-19 vaccine through the CDC Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) are being asked to verify or update their pre-registration information. Anyone who pre-registered through VAMS may have received a legitimate communication from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). If you received this email from vaccinatevirginia@info.VDH.virginia.gov and are not yet fully vaccinated, please use the link provided in the email to update your information. Many records that were transferred from VAMS to the current state system did not have enough information for AHD to make contact to schedule appointments. The City and AHD are working hard to ensure that everyone who is eligible receives a vaccine, and thank you for your patience.

Restaurant Workers Added to Phase 1b Prioritization

In addition to the frontline essential workers listed in VDH’s Phase 1b prioritization, AHD will now be including restaurant workers in Phase 1b. Restaurant workers—particularly those that work in kitchens and small enclosed areas—generally must work within six feet of others for prolonged periods of time, which increases the risk of COVID-19 exposure. Waitstaff are unable to maintain a safe distance from customers who are not wearing masks while eating or drinking. Additionally, many food service workers tend to be from vulnerable communities, are often uninsured or underinsured, and do not have paid time off, which can put them at higher risk of complications if they contract COVID-19 with limited access to medical care. Restaurant workers who previously selected "Food Service" as their occupation while pre-registering will automatically be added to Phase 1b and do not need to take further action.

Guidance for Caregivers and Persons with Disabilities Requiring a High Level of Daily Care

Based upon the following updated AHD guidance, caregivers and the people they care for may wish to update their pre-registration status by visiting vaccinate.virginia.gov or calling 877.829.4682.  

• Caregivers: In early February, VDH provided updated guidance regarding primary caregivers for persons with severe medical conditions or intellectual or developmental disabilities requiring a high level of daily care. From that guidance, such primary caregivers are categorized as a home health aide or personal care aide and are included in Phase 1a. If serving as an unpaid primary caregiver for a loved one, residents can select “Home Health Aide” as their occupation, enter "self-employed” under employer name and use their home address as their work address.
  

• Persons with Disabilities Requiring a High Level of Daily Care: AHD is now advising that persons with severe medical conditions or intellectual or developmental disabilities who require a high level of daily care, and would be eligible for residence in a long-term care facility or a group home but whose families take care of them at home, should pre-register through vaccinate.virginia.gov and select "Other Adult Care Home, Family Care Home, or Group Home" on the appropriate pre-registration page. This will prioritize them in Phase 1a, equivalent to their counterparts in group homes. 

Alexandria COVID-19 Data At-a-Glance

The seven-day moving average chart below shows the number of COVID-19 cases and the daily and cumulative case and fatality counts, and provides detailed information about how preventive measures are impacting Alexandria's response to the pandemic. An interactive version is available at alexandriava.gov/114883. The vaccination chart includes total doses administered across all facilities and the percentage of residents ages 16 and older who have been partially and fully vaccinated, and is available at alexandriava.gov/120654. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, are available through links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus. 

Continue following measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 even after vaccination. Get tested if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. If you test positive, help loved ones and neighbors by informing your close contacts using “ What to Do If You Get Sick” guidance, which is available in Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, and Farsi or this brief video.