Two more Covid deaths in Alexandria, cases surpass 40,000

Two more Alexandria residents have died from COVID-19, and the city just surpassed 40,000 reported cases, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The death toll from the pandemic now stands at 198, and the number of cases is 40,081. The seven-day average of daily cases is now 55.6, a slight uptick over last week.

The news comes on the heels of new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which no longer recommends quarantining for people exposed to the virus, as long as they aren’t symptomatic.

The city has had a Medium community level since April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Alexandria Health Department’s last update was on June 21, to announce the availability of vaccine shots for kids older than six months of age. The city’s state of emergency expired on June 30.

There have been 823 new Covid cases reported in Alexandria so far this month.

• 30 new cases on August 15
• 46 new cases on August 14
• 53 new cases on August 13
• 68 new cases on August 12
• 61 new cases on August 11
• 67 new cases on August 10
• 64 new cases on August 9
• 31 new cases on August 8
• 32 new cases on August 7
• 48 new cases on August 6
• 68 new cases on August 5
• 65 new cases on August 4
• 69 new cases on August 3
• 66 new cases on August 2
• 55 new cases on August 1

Below are monthly totals for 2022.

• January — 12,822 new cases
• February — 1,227 new cases
• March — 593 new cases
• April — 1,488 new cases
• May — 2,900 new cases
• June — 2,357 new cases
• July — 2,396 new cases

Vaccine Update

• There are 24,138 unvaccinated Alexandria residents
• About 77% of residents (121,068 people) are fully vaccinated
• 85% (133,556 people) of residents got at least one dose
• 61,950 residents got their first booster shot
• 11,827 residents got their second booster shot

The new CDC guidance is below.

• Children and adults with mild, symptomatic COVID-19: Isolation can end at least 5 days after symptom onset and after fever ends for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving, if these people can continue to properly wear a well-fitted mask around others for 5 more days after the 5-day isolation period. Day 0 is the first day of symptoms.
• People who are infected but asymptomatic (never develop symptoms): Isolation can end at least 5 days after the first positive test (with day 0 being the date their specimen was collected for the positive test), if these people can continue to wear a properly well-fitted mask around others for 5 more days after the 5-day isolation period. However, if symptoms develop after a positive test, their 5-day isolation period should start over (day 0 changes to the first day of symptoms).
• People who have moderate COVID-19 illness: Isolate for 10 days.
• People who are severely ill (i.e., requiring hospitalization, intensive care, or ventilation support): Extending the duration of isolation and precautions to at least 10 days and up to 20 days after symptom onset, and after fever ends (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving, may be warranted.
• People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised might have a longer infectious period: Extend isolation to 20 or more days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms or a positive viral test). Use a test-based strategy and consult with an infectious disease specialist to determine the appropriate duration of isolation and precautions.
• Recovered patients: Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 can continue to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in upper respiratory specimens for up to 3 months after illness onset. However, replication-competent virus has not been reliably recovered from such patients, and they are not likely infectious.