Alexandria COVID-19 Cases Report Potential Exposure Sources

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A new survey of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Alexandria provides insight into the potential common sources of exposure.

From Sept. 21 to Oct. 19, Alexandria Health Department's case investigators interviewed 422 residents diagnosed with COVID-19. Case investigators were asked to recall their activities in the two weeks before they felt sick. Individuals could have identified more than one potential source of exposure.

An analysis of the interviews found the most common activity reported was living with someone who recently had COVID-19. This was reported by 44 percent of the participants. There were 25 percent who said they went to their workplace and 10 percent who went to a public event, social gathering or entertainment activity with most occurring indoors. A total of 7 percent traveled outside the DC area with mainly travel in the U.S., and 7 percent went to a restaurant or bar. Two-thirds of those who went to a restaurant or bar ate indoors, and one-third ate outdoors.

The health department cautions that the reported activities may not have been the source of exposure, but they demonstrate trends for people who become sick. The interview results of these interviews mirror other local analysis and research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which suggest that household contacts, indoor gatherings, and restaurant dining are common sources of COVID-19 transmission.

Based on the analysis, the health department recommends the following guidance to lower the risk of these activities:

• Protect coworkers by not entering workplaces when ill or recently in close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• If someone in your household is ill, immediately take precautions such as wearing masks when in common areas, avoiding shared utensils, and staying 6 feet apart.
• Limit indoor social gatherings, and choose lower risk activities for holiday celebrations.
• Avoid travel as much as possible, particularly to areas of the U.S. experiencing surges of cases. For necessary travel, follow CDC’s guidance to lower risk of COVID-19.
• Maintain mask usage as much as possible, including while waiting to order or receive food at restaurants.
• Support businesses that have completed the ALX Promise voluntary accreditation program, since these entities have taken additional training with AHD and have pledged to go above and beyond minimum state safety standards for employees and customers.

As of Tuesday, there have been 4,248 cumulative coronavirus cases, 325 hospitalizations and 74 deaths in Alexandria. The seven-day average of daily new cases reported is 16, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The total number of new cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days is 126.5. The seven-day average of new daily hospitalizations per 100,000 people is 0.1, while the reported average for deaths in the last 14 days is -0.1. That negative number reflects a death that had been removed from the total.

The seven-day average of positive PCR tests in Alexandria is 4.4 percent, which is lower than the 5 percent statewide rate. There have been 49,354 PCR tests completed to date.

Cases and testing by Alexandria ZIP code, as reported by VDH, are as follows:

• 22301: 155 cases, 4,222 PCR tests, population of 15,171
• 22302: 457 cases, 7,478 PCR tests, population of 20,238
• 22304: 1,345 cases, 14,829 PCR tests, population of 54,003
• 22305: 849 cases, 5,895 PCR tests, population of 16,095
• 22311 (shared with Fairfax County): 773 cases, 7,049 PCR tests, population of 16,898
• 22312 (shared with Fairfax County): 1,071 cases, 8,659 PCR tests, population of 6,901
• 22314: 460 cases, 9,881 PCR tests, population of 47,826

The breakdown of cases and deaths by age group in Alexandria is:

• 0-9: 297 cases, 0 deaths
• 10-19: 301 cases, 0 deaths
• 20-29: 820 cases, 1 death
• 30-39: 960 cases, 1 death
• 40-49: 734 cases, 1 death
• 50-59: 533 cases, 14 deaths
• 60-69: 316 cases, 5 deaths
• 70-79: 148 cases, 21 deaths
• 80 and up: 128 cases, 31 deaths
• Not reported: 11 cases, 0 deaths

The race and ethnicity breakdown of cases and deaths in Alexandria is:

• Asian or Pacific Islander: 159 cases, 1 death
• Black: 884 cases, 19 deaths
• Latino: 1,952 cases, 13 deaths
• Native American: 4 cases, 0 deaths
• Other race: 97 cases, 2 deaths
• Two or more races: 28 cases, 0 deaths
• White: 855 cases, 38 deaths