New Data Shows Age, Rate Per 100K Of Alexandria Coronavirus Cases

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Alexandria Health Department 11 deaths and 462 cases of the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 illness as of Wednesday night. New state data shows cases per 100,000 people as well as cases by age and race, although racial data isn't reported for a portion of patients. A new city graph shows number of cases and deaths for each day.

As of April 18, the Virginia Department of Health is also counting "probable" cases involving symptomatic patients with a known exposure to the virus. Statewide, 9,952 cases are confirmed through laboratory testing and 314 are probable. There was no specific data on confirmed and probable cases for Alexandria.

The rate of cases in Alexandria is 287.8 per 100,000 people. By comparison, the highest case rate in Virginia is 586.4 per 100,000 people in Richmond County. Alexandria has 37.4 hospitalizations per 100,000 people and 5.6 deaths per 100,000 people.

As of Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health identified three outbreaks in long-term care facilities and one in an educational setting. Outbreaks are defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed cases in a setting. The local health department has not released specific locations of outbreaks, although one facility released information on its own. On Friday, April 17, the Hermitage Northern Virginia retirement community confirmed 11 positive cases. All cases are among health care residents, and 13 residents tested negative.

An update on the situation at the retirement community was shared with Patch Wednesday.

"With the support of the Alexandria Health Department, we retested all of our negative health care residents and fortunately they all tested negative a second time," said Chris Henderson, president and CEO of Pinnacle Living, which runs Hermitage Northern Virginia. "We have no new cases to report at this time, but will share any new cases via press release."

The breakdown of cases by age in Alexandria as of Tuesday were:

• Ages 0-9: 13 cases, no hospitalizations
• Ages 10-19: 16 cases, no hospitalizations
• Ages 20-29: 73 cases, two hospitalizations
• Ages 30-39: 104 cases, 10 hospitalizations
• Ages 40-49: 84 cases, nine hospitalizations
• Ages 50-59: 63 cases, 11 hospitalizations
• Ages 60-69: 49 cases, eight hospitalizations
• Ages 70-79: 33 cases, 13 hospitalizations
• Ages 80 and up: 27 cases, seven hospitalizations

Racial data is not reported for 178 Alexandria cases (38.5 percent), including 11 hospitalizations. Among the remaining cases, 32.9 percent are white, 16.2 percent are black or African American and 12.3 percent are listed as "other."

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The city says cases are representative of age and race distribution of Alexandria residents, but hospitalization rates appear to be higher among African Americans and residents over 65.

"This aligns with nationwide research on health outcomes," the city said in a statement. "Underlying health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease can create additional complications and more severe symptoms if someone contracts COVID-19. For generations, historically discriminatory systems in education, housing, and the workforce have created conditions that contribute to higher rates of chronic conditions in communities of color."

Residents should keep in mind the missing racial data creates an incomplete picture. The Alexandria Health Department is working with doctors to improve data reporting, as well as providing outreach about COVID-19 to at-risk communities.

A city graph shows cases have been increasing since Alexandria's first case was reported on March 11. We've summarized the progression of cases and deaths below.

• March 11: 1 case
• March 15: 2 cases
• March 17: 4 cases
• March 20: 6 cases
• March 23: 9 cases
• March 24: 13 cases
• March 25: 14 cases
• March 26: 20 cases
• March 27: 24 cases
• March 28: 28 cases
• March 29: 32 cases
• March 30: 36 cases
• March 31: 44 cases
• April 1: 55 cases
• April 2: 67 cases
• April 3: 77 cases
• April 4: 93 cases
• April 5: 104 cases
• April 6: 130 cases, 1 death
• April 7: 141 cases
• April 8: 149 cases
• April 9: 170 cases
• April 10: 181 cases
• April 11: 200 cases
• April 12: 225 cases
• April 13: 241 cases, 2 deaths
• April 14: 248 cases, 4 deaths
• April 15: 273 cases, 6 deaths
• April 16: 303 cases, 7 deaths
• April 17: 321 cases
• April 18: 354 cases
• April 19: 421 cases, 8 deaths
• April 20: 462 cases, 10 deaths

SEE ALSO:

• Virginia Coronavirus Data Shows Breakdown By County; 9.6K Cases
• Northam To Protesters: 'This Is Not The Time To Play Politics'
• Coronavirus Testing Sites Provide Expanded Capacity In Alexandria
• Coronavirus: Where To Get Face Masks, Coverings In Alexandria
• Alexandria Schools Provide Hotspot Devices To Families In Need