Alexandria Provides Updates; Rental Assistance Extended; AHD Monitoring Inclement Weather; Daily News Release Holiday Schedule

Press release from the City of Alexandria:

Feb 12, 2021 at 8:37 PM

City of Alexandria Provides COVID-19 Updates; Mortgage Relief Ends, Rental Assistance Extended; AHD Monitoring Inclement Weather for Saturday Vaccine Clinic; Pre-Registration Form Temporarily Unavailable; Weekly Vaccine Updates; Daily News Release Holiday Schedule

­­For Immediate Release: February 12, 2021

The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) strongly urge residents to stay home as much as possible during the current surge of COVID-19 cases in our community. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are increasing in Alexandria. Take immediate and ongoing action to control the spread by wearing a
mask over both your nose and mouth, staying home unless it’s necessary to go out, and washing your hands frequently. Without these critical steps, additional lives may be at risk.

Mortgage Relief Ends, Rental Assistance Extended

The Virginia Department of Housing is no longer accepting mortgage payment assistance applications. New federal funding does not cover mortgage assistance, and other funding relief sources have been exhausted. Homeowners who are unable to make mortgage payments are encouraged to visit “
Resources for Homeowners” for guidance and assistance, and to visit the
Virginia Department of Housing website in late February for further updates.

The Virginia
Rent Relief Program (RRP) will continue to provide assistance for eligible households to cover rent payments that are past due beginning April 1. Tenants are urged to complete a survey to
determine eligibility, submit an
application, or call 703.962.1884 for more information. Landlords can also apply directly on behalf of tenants at
VirginiaHousing.com/RMRP. Review the list of
participating City of Alexandria landlords. Residents who are currently facing eviction for unpaid rent due to COVID-19 related loss of income may be eligible for emergency rental assistance through the City of Alexandria’s Office of Housing. Learn more about the program and eligibility criteria for the
COVID-19 Emergency Rent Relief Assistance Program or call 703.746.4990.

AHD Monitoring Inclement Weather for Saturday Vaccine Clinic

AHD is monitoring inclement weather that may make it necessary to cancel the COVID-19 vaccine clinic scheduled for Saturday, February 13. Those with vaccine appointments will receive an email notification by 7 a.m. on Saturday indicating whether the clinic will be open or canceled.

• If the clinic is open, but you prefer not to attend due to the weather conditions, please stay home. You do not need to notify AHD or register again, and you will not be moved down in the registration list. AHD will email you by Sunday with instructions on how to reschedule your appointment.
• If the clinic is open and you are comfortable traveling, please arrive at your scheduled time.

Pre-Registration Form Temporarily Unavailable

AHD’s pre-registration form will be unavailable between 5 p.m. on Friday, February 12 and 8 a.m. on Tuesday, February 16. The Commonwealth of Virginia is launching a Statewide Vaccine Pre-Registration System to provide a unified and comprehensive process for people in Virginia to pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine. Starting on Tuesday, February 16 at 8 a.m., anyone who has filled out the pre-registration form will be able to check that they are in the system.

Weekly Vaccine Updates

Between February 5 and February 11, AHD administered 1,393 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine to frontline essential workers and residents aged 65 and up, for a total of 11,141 first doses administered since December 24. These doses administered do not include vaccines administered by private providers and pharmacies. AHD will soon be vaccinating Alexandrians 16-64 with underlying medical conditions, will continue to vaccinate those aged 65 and up, as well as frontline essential workers categorized as Phases
1a and
1b. Since December 22, 2020, Alexandria has received 18,550 first doses through the Virginia Department of Health.

Alexandria’s dose breakdown to date:

• 11,141 first doses and 2,898 second doses administered by AHD at COVID-19 Vaccine POD Clinics
• 7,760 first doses distributed to community vaccinating partners, such as health care providers and pharmacies who vaccinate those aged 65 and up who are on AHD's pre-registration list

Note: First doses administered by AHD and distributed to community vaccinating partners exceeds the recorded doses received because some vials have more doses than the manufacturer originally estimated.

Phase 1b eligible workers who are working almost entirely remotely with no exposure to the public are encouraged to consider waiting to receive their vaccination until a later date when supplies are more plentiful. This can help frontline workers who do not have telework options to obtain vaccine protection while they interact with the public.

Daily News Release Holiday Schedule

This daily COVID-19 news release will not be published on City holidays unless there is a major announcement to share. All City of Alexandria government
offices will be closed on Monday, February 15, in observance of President’s Day. The COVID-19 news release will resume normal publication on Tuesday, February 16. Daily COVID-19 data will continue to be available at
alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.

Alexandria COVID-19 Data At-a-Glance

The chart below, containing the seven-day moving average number of COVID-19 cases and the daily and cumulative case and fatality counts, provides detailed information about how preventive measures are impacting Alexandria's response to the pandemic. An interactive version is available at
alexandriava.gov/114883. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, are available through links at
alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.

AHD estimates that approximately 1 in 20 Alexandrians who tested positive for COVID-19 have required hospitalization. An estimated 66% of Virginia adults who become infected never have symptoms. The best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 remain wearing a mask in public, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others, and frequently washing your hands or carrying and using hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethyl alcohol. Help your loved ones and neighbors by calling your close contacts if you test positive for COVID-19. Learn who to call and what to say from AHD's “
What to Do If You Get Sick” guidance, which is available in
Spanish,
Amharic,
Arabic, and
Farsi or this brief
video. Download the Virginia Department of Health’s
COVIDWISE app to be quickly and anonymously notified of likely exposure to the virus.

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This news release is available at
alexandriava.gov/120313.

This press release was produced by the City of Alexandria.The views expressed here are the author’s own.