Alexandria ZIP Code Among Top For Coronavirus Cases In Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, VA — New data from the Virginia Department of Health shows one zip code of Alexandria is one of the hardest hit by the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 illness. The 22305 zip code, which covers the Arlandria/Chirilagua community and a northern part of Potomac Yard, has 330 cases and 608 people tested as of Friday. That represents an approximately 54 percent positive rate among completed tests. It's the ninth highest for cases among Virginia zip codes.

Activists with Tenants and Workers United and New Virginia Majority are calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to provide 10,000 tests over 10 days and other actions to address the spread of the virus among the largely Latino population in Arlandria.

State officials are addressing another area of the state with concerns of community spread. On Virginia's Eastern Shore, outbreaks have been identified at two poultry processing plants, leading plants to test workers and public health officials to ramp up community testing. A drive-thru testing site on the Eastern Shore will provide approximately 1,500 free tests on Friday and Saturday, 13 News Now reported.

Aside from testing, groups are requesting places to isolate sick individuals and medical care solutions for residents regardless of insurance and immigration status. Evelin Urrutia, executive director of TWU, noted in a virtual news conference that the Arlandria community has around 16,000 residents. Of these, an estimated 10,000 live in small apartment communities with one or two bedrooms, raising concerns about the spread of the virus.

"In our community, testing a person, finding them sick with coronavirus and then sending them back to a one-bedroom apartment where four other people live is a potential death sentence, and at the [very] least a formula for wider community spread," said Urrutia in a statement. "Arlandria residents need to work to survive...most work in construction, care and service [industries] and this community spread, if not addressed, will surely impact the entire region."

Asucena Esquival, an Arlandria resident, said on the virtual call that she and another member of her household tested positive for the virus. The other two people in her apartment are showing symptoms but have not been tested. She cited their inability to pay and eligibility requirements at the local clinic.

Neighborhood Health, a clinic serving low-income, underinsured and uninsured residents, is providing testing in Arlandria. According to its website, testing is free for uninsured patients who meet its sliding scale fee eligibility. The cost of testing costs can be covered by health insurance plans as well as Medicaid and Medicare.

Here are the cases and testing numbers by ZIP code in Alexandria, as of Friday:

• 22302: 107 cases and 397 tested
• 22304: 311 cases and 1,185 tested
• 22311: 200 cases and 552 tested
• 22301: 36 cases and 295 tested
• 22305: 330 cases and 608 tested
• 22312 (parts of Alexandria and Fairfax County): 211 cases and 690 tested
• 22314: 115 cases and 724 tested

The ZIP code information includes case numbers and number tested but not deaths or hospitalizations. Residents can look at data by ZIP code, locality and health district.

The Virginia Department of Health noted a few limits to the ZIP code data. Locality data is being reported to the state for all cases, but ZIP code information is not reported for 432 of the total 22,342 cases as of Friday.

Out-of-state residents tested in Virginia are not counted in ZIP code data but are reflected in the state's overall testing data. For privacy reasons, ZIP codes with case counts between one and four cases are listed as "suppressed."