[Archived] City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; Free At-Home Kit Options to Include Medicare; Case and Death Numbers Updated

­­For Immediate Release: February 8, 2022

Help end the pandemic by wearing a mask over both your nose and mouth, washing your hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. 

Free At-Home Kit Options to Include Medicare

Starting in early spring 2022, Medicare will pay for up to eight over-the-counter at-home tests per covered individual per month. Other health insurers are already required to do the same, by either directly paying the cost or via reimbursement for kits purchased on or after January 15, 2022. In addition, anyone can request four free over-the-counter tests for home delivery at covidtests.gov today, regardless of insurance. Information about other free testing options including local PCR testing locations in Alexandria can be found on the City’s Get Tested webpage.

Case and Death Numbers Updated 

As a result of ongoing quality assurance data reviews, the Alexandria Health Department identified 220 COVID-19 cases that were inaccurately auto-generated duplicates in the case reporting system. These cases have been removed from Alexandria's total case numbers, causing the case counts on February 6-8 to appear artificially low on Virginia Department of Health and City of Alexandria dashboards. Additional duplicate cases may be identified and removed in the coming days. Following further data reviews, three COVID-19 deaths from January have now been added to Alexandria's counts. 

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 Status dashboard below includes the percentage of residents ages 5 and older who are fully vaccinated, 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 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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