For Immediate Release: August 24, 2021
Help end the pandemic by wearing a mask over both your nose and mouth, washing your hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. 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.
As children return to school, families can take steps to reduce the risk of COVID-19. First, talk to your child about the importance of wearing their mask consistently and correctly while at school, on the bus, and during extracurricular activities. In addition to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping your family safe, wearing a mask consistently and correctly while in school could prevent your child from needing to quarantine for 14 days. The CDC’s revised close contact definition excludes K-12 students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time. Consider packing an extra mask in your child’s backpack just in case their mask gets wet or dirty while at school.
All families should monitor their child daily for symptoms of COVID-19. If your child demonstrates any of these symptoms, keep them home and seek testing for COVID-19 immediately. Even if you suspect it is “just a cold” or allergies, get your child tested as soon as possible. Report your child’s symptoms to their school or extracurricular activities and let them know the results of your child’s test as soon as possible. If you’re unsure how to report test results, contact your child’s school administrator or school nurse for guidance.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has launched a new dashboard that shows both the number and rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in Virginia by vaccination status. No vaccine is 100% effective so it is expected that some fully vaccinated people become infected. In most cases, fully vaccinated people do not have symptoms or have only mild symptoms. These infections might also be shorter in duration. Vaccines continue to be the best way to prevent a COVID-19 illness and should be used with other methods, such as wearing a mask and maintaining physical distance, to further reduce the risk..
The Alexandria COVID-19 Dashboard below shows the daily change in the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and 7-day average, as well as the cumulative totals. The chart focuses on the past 90 days and provides context for the CDC transmission levels. An interactive version is available at alexandriava.gov/114883. The Alexandria COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard below includes total doses administered across all facilities, the percentage of residents ages 12 and older who have received at least one dose, the number partially and fully vaccinated, and progress toward Alexandria’s and the state’s vaccination goals. Vaccination charts are available at alexandriava.gov/120654. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, are available through links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.
At least one dose: Total number of people who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including those who received one dose of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. This metric includes all people who have received only one dose and those who received at least one dose.
Fully Vaccinated: Total number or percent of people who have completed the recommended series of a given vaccine product (i.e., two doses of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine).
Partially Vaccinated: Total number of people who have received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine course but have not yet received the second dose.
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.
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