[Archived] City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; Technology Helps to Reduce Local Spread; Vaccine Appointment Transportation for Older Adults

­­For Immediate Release: October 8, 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.

Technology Helps to Reduce Local Spread

The Alexandria Health Department (AHD), along with hundreds of other local health departments, uses a tool called Sara Alert™, designed in early 2020 to support contact tracing. This system enrolls individuals exposed to or infected with COVID-19, which helps AHD to provide guidance about when it's safe to discontinue isolation or quarantine. Once enrolled, individuals enter their symptoms daily via email, text, or phone call, providing public health professionals real-time insights into disease spread and allowing AHD staff to quickly follow up with Alexandrians to ensure that they have all of the needed resources. 

Neither the Sara Alert system nor AHD contact tracers will ever ask individuals for social security numbers, bank account or credit card information, passwords or answers to security questions. Sara Alert will only contact enrolled individuals from 844.957.2721 or notifications@saraalert.org. AHD encourages residents to always verify phone numbers and email addresses to confirm that a message is from Sara Alert before responding.  

Vaccine Appointment Transportation for Older Adults

Free transportation through Alexandria Yellow Cab is available for adults ages 60 and up to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots. The City’s Division of Aging and Adult Services is coordinating transportation for City of Alexandria residents to and from vaccination sites in or outside of Alexandria. Individuals do not need to be signed up for Senior Taxi for this service. The senior may bring one companion with them at no charge; however, they must arrange for their own companion. Please make a vaccination appointment first, then call 703.746.5999 at least two days prior to the appointment to schedule the trip. Callers will be asked to provide basic demographic information, and will receive a return call to confirm details of the transportation to and from the appointment.  

Alexandria COVID-19 Data At-a-Glance

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.