Alexandria Now Has 1,657 COVID-19 Cases, No New Deaths

James Cullum May 22, 2020 at 2:00pm

A warning in an apartment building elevator in Arlandria after a notification was sent to residents that there is a COVID-19 infection. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

A crowded lower King Street on Thursday, May 21, 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

COVID-19 cases in Alexandria (ALXnow)

There are now 1,657 cases of COVID-19 in Alexandria, an increase of 30 cases since yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

There are no new reported deaths and the number of fatalities attributed to the virus remains at 37. There have been more than 800 new cases and more than a dozen coronavirus-related deaths in the city this month alone.

Two women and one man in their 70s are the latest victims of the virus. Two victims were black/African American and the third victim was Hispanic.

Hispanic residents make up 17% of the population and are leading with the highest number of cases in the city, with 783 reported cases, six deaths and 75 hospitalizations.

There have been 125 cases associated with 11 outbreaks in the city, and 107 of those cases have been health care workers. Nine of the outbreaks occurred at long-term care facilities, and 15 deaths have occurred at such facilities, although that number has not been updated since the city’s release on May 2. The other outbreaks occurred at a “congregate” setting and an educational setting.

It is also not clear how many people have recovered in Alexandria.

Some Wear Masks, Others Don’t

As the city prepares to slowly reopen its economy on May 29, there were stark differences between the scenes in Arlandria and Old Town on Thursday afternoon. Outside Casa Chirilagua on Mount Vernon Avenue, hundreds of Hispanic residents wore masks as they waited in line to receive emergency food.

Despite Governor Ralph Northam’s stay at home order, a number of restaurants on lower King Street loudly played music outside and dozens of people gathered without face masks on Thursday. The order is in effect until June 10, and Alexandria Police can charge anyone in gatherings of 10 or more people with a misdemeanor citation.

The Alexandria Health Department has not shut down any restaurants since Union Street Public House was forced to close on St. Patrick’s Day for violating the governor’s 10-person rule. Meanwhile, the AHD is developing a new accreditation system for businesses that adhere to safety guidelines, including wearing face masks, hand washing and other sanitation practices, and social distancing.

COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing on Monday

This week, Northam announced that 3,000 free COVID-19 tests will be administered in Alexandria on Monday, May 25, and that the state’s most impacted areas will get additional testing throughout the remainder of the month.

Landmark Mall (5801 Duke Street) and Cora Kelly School (3600 Commonwealth Avenue) are the locations for 3,000 free COVID-19 tests that will be administered on May 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Residents are encouraged to wear face masks and walk-up participants should wear sunscreen.

There have been 5,596 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests administered in the city so far, and the city’s seven day average shows a 14.7% infection rate of those tested. There have also been 920 antibody tests in Alexandria.

Statewide, there have been 1,136 reported deaths, and 1,100 of those deaths are confirmed to have been COVID-19-related, according to VDH. There are now 34,950 cases (33,208 confirmed, 1,742 probable) and 4,145 hospitalizations (including 28 probable cases).

COVID-19 Age and Sex Breakdown

There are 844 females with the virus (with 20 deaths and 76 hospitalizations) and 808 males (with 17 deaths and 99 hospitalizations) who tested positive for COVID-19 in the city. The sex of five cases was not reported.

A large percentage of deaths have occurred at long-term care facilities, and there has been one death of a person in their 20s. There have also been 16 reported deaths of residents in their 80s.

VDH provided the following age breakdown of deaths and new cases:

80+ — 16 deaths, 73 cases, 23 hospitalizations (Two new cases, one new hospitalization)
70-79 — 12 deaths, 83 cases, 32 hospitalizations (One new hospitalization)
60-69 — One death, 143 cases, 29 hospitalizations (One new hospitalization)
50-59 — Seven deaths, 221 cases, 35 hospitalizations (Five new cases, one new hospitalization)
40-49 — Zero deaths, 322 cases, 27 hospitalizations (Six new cases)
30-39 — Zero deaths, 381 cases, 22 hospitalizations (10 new cases)
20-29 — One death, 241 cases, five hospitalizations (Four new cases)
10-19 — Zero deaths, 108 cases, one hospitalization
0-9 — Zero deaths, 80 cases, one hospitalizations (Three new cases)
Missing — Five cases not listed by age

Cases By ZIP Code

The areas of the city with the leading number of cases is the 22304 and 22305 ZIP codes, which include the West End and Arlandria, Potomac Yard and Potomac West neighborhoods. There are 489 cases in 22304, which has an estimated population of 54,003 people, and in 22305 there are 463 cases (with an estimated population of 16,095).

VDH provided the following ZIP code data. Some of the areas share jurisdictions between Alexandria and Arlington and Fairfax Counties:

22301 — 58 cases, 380 people tested (Estimated population 15,171) Two more cases, 10 more tests

22302 — 168 cases, 576 people tested (Estimated population 20,238) One more case, Seven more tests

22304 — 489 cases, 1,730 people tested (Estimated population 54,003) 11 new cases, 54 new tests

22305 — 463 cases, 1,111 people tested (Estimated population 16,095) Seven new cases, 124 new tests

22311 — 310 cases, 885 people tested (Estimated population 16,898) Six new cases, 18 new tests

22312 — 344 cases, 1,083 people tested (Estimated population 6,901) Two new cases, 24 new tests

22314 — 153 cases, 915 people tested (Estimated population 47,826) Three new cases, 16 new tests

The City acknowledged that VDH and the Alexandria Health Department have “significant gaps in non-reporting of racial and ethnic demographics in this data.”

Hispanic or Latino — Six Deaths, 783 cases, 75 hospitalizations (16 new cases)
White, non-Hispanic residents — 23 deaths, 614 cases, 66 hospitalizations (14 new cases, three new hospitalizations)
Black/African American residents — Eight deaths, 246 cases, 50 hospitalizations (Eight new cases, one new hospitalization)
Not Hispanic or Latino — 28 deaths, 533 cases, 96 hospitalizations (18 new cases, five new hospitalizations)
Not reported — Five deaths, 468 cases, 14 hospitalizations (Five new cases)
Other — One death, 329 cases, 45 hospitalizations (One new case)

The full timeline of the spread so far:

March 11 — First positive case reported
March 15 — Second positive case reported
March 17 — Fourth positive case reported
March 24 — The number of cases jumps to 13
March 25 — The number of cases increases to 14
March 26 — The number of cases increases to 20
March 27 — The number of cases increases to 24
March 28 — The number of cases increases to 28
March 29 — The number of cases increases to 32
March 31 — The number of cases increases to 44
April 1 — The number of cases increases to 55
April 2 — The number of cases increases to 67
April 3 — The number of cases increases to 77
April 4 — The number of cases increases to 93
April 5 — The number of cases increases to 104
April 6 — The number of cases increases to 130 (First fatality reported)
April 7 — The number of cases increases to 141
April 8 — The number of cases increases to 149
April 9 — The number of cases increases to 170
April 10 — The number of cases increases to 181
April 11 — The number of cases increases to 200
April 12 — The number of cases increases to 225
April 13 — The number of cases increases to 241 (Second fatality reported)
April 14 — The number of cases increases to 248 (Third and fourth fatalities reported)
April 15 — The number of cases increases to 273 (Fifth and sixth fatalities reported)
April 16 — The number of cases increases to 303 (Seventh fatality reported)
April 17 — The number of cases increases to 321
April 18 — The number of cases increases to 354
April 19 — The number of cases increases to 383 (Eighth fatality reported)
April 20 — The number of cases increases to 421 (Ninth and tenth fatalities reported)
April 21 — The number of cases increases to 462 (Fatalities now at 11)
April 22 — The number of cases increases to 474 (Fatalities now at 13)
April 23 — The number of cases increases to 512 (Fatalities now at 14)
April 24 — The number of cases increases to 547 (Fatalities now at 15)
April 25 — The number of cases increases to 575 (Fatalities now at 18)
April 26 — The number of cases increases to 591 (Fatalities now at 19)
April 27 — The number of cases increases to 627
April 28 — The number of cases increases to 653 (Fatalities now at 20)
April 29 — The number of cases increases to 700 (Fatalities now at 21)
April 30 — The number of cases increases to 754
May 1 — The number of cases increases to 802 (Fatalities now at 24)
May 2 — The number of cases increases to 848 (Fatalities now at 26)
May 3 — The number of cases increases to 899
May 4 — The number of cases increases to 940
May 5 — The number of cases increases to 983
May 6 — New cases and fatalities not reported by VDH
May 7 — The number of cases increases to 1,060 (Fatalities now at 29)
May 8 — The number of cases increases to 1,110
May 9 — The number of cases increases to 1,142 (Fatalities now at 30)
May 10 — The number of cases increases to 1,193
May 11 — The number of cases increases to 1,224
May 12 — The number of cases increases to 1,240
May 13 — The number of cases increases to 1,305 (Fatalities now at 31)
May 14 — The number of cases increases to 1,349 (Fatalities now at 32)
May 15 — The number of cases increases to 1,396
May 16 — The number of cases increases to 1460 (Fatalities now at 34)
May 17 — The number of cases increases to 1,476
May 18 — The number of cases increases to 1,510
May 19 — The number of cases increases to 1,544
May 20 — The number of cases increases to 1,577
May 21 — The number of cases increases to 1,627 (Fatalities now at 37)
May 22 — The number of cases increases to 1,657