In a video town hall last night (Thursday), Mayor Justin Wilson said there were five outbreaks — places where the virus was spread between several people — in Alexandria. A Virginia Department of Health update this morning (Friday) pushed that up to six.
“Four of those are in long-term living facilities,” Wilson said. “One is in an educational facility.”
Three of those long-term living facilities had outbreaks among their residents, while the fourth was an outbreak among the staff, the Alexandria Times reported.
The number of cases has climbed to 547, which Wilson noted includes presumed cases diagnosed by a physician.
“That’s probably going to drive the numbers up beyond what would be otherwise shown,” Wilson said, “but [it’s] probably a more accurate depiction of the actual number.”
Wilson said that the numbers have also shown that many early preconceptions about the virus, that it primarily impacts elderly people, have not been borne out by the data.
“Forty percent of those in the hospitals are 40 or under,” Wilson said. “There’s been a misconception that this is only impacting those who are older.”
While only 74 of those infected are currently in the hospital, Wilson said the hospital data is a good way of indicating which cases are more severe and shows that the virus is having an impact across age demographics.
Many infected with the virus has been recovering at home, which Wilson said has led to the hospitals not being as overwhelmed as was originally feared. Regional plans to build an expanded hospital center at Dulles have been put on hold, but Wilson said those could be resumed if the hospitals start to reach their capacity.
Currently, the state is not releasing numbers of infected by zipcode out of concern that there are smaller localities where individuals could be identified by their zip code, but Wilson said that could change. As the virus continues to spread, Wilson said it’s likely that more data will be released to the public.
“I suspect you’ll see a continued loosening of restrictions on how they release data,” he said. “We’ve worked with the state to expand granularity in the data, we think there’s a benefit to that. The message we want to give: don’t look to the data for reassurance. You should expect that there are many more people that have COVID-19 than the test results show. You should assume everyone has it.”
Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash
Recent Stories
Police continue to investigate two suspicious deaths in Alexandria this week — one in the Braddock neighborhood and another at Four Mile Run. Telemundo reported the victim found in Four…
The body of the man found at Four Mile Run Park on Tuesday has been identified as Kevin IsaÃas of El Salvador by Telemundo 44, though police won’t confirm the…
A race through Old Town this weekend will cause some road closures on Saturday and Sunday. The PNC Parkway Classic is scheduled for Sunday, April 28. The city said in…
Medians, reduced crossing distances and curb extensions are just a few of the roadway changes being proposed for four intersections with Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria. The preferred design options…
For many remote workers, a messy home is distracting.
You’re getting pulled into meetings, and your unread emails keep ticking up. But you can’t focus because pet hair tumbleweeds keep floating across the floor, your desk has a fine layer of dust and you keep your video off in meetings so no one sees the chaos behind you.
It’s no secret a dirty home is distracting and even adds stress to your life. And who has the energy to clean after work? That’s why it’s smart to enlist the help of professionals, like Well-Paid Maids.
Monarch Montessori School is now enrolling infants, toddlers and three year-olds for its full-time Montessori program. We offer a seamless enrollment process which involves submitting an application for review, paying the enrollment fee and submitting the remaining enrollment materials before your proposed start date.
At Monarch Montessori School, we aim to provide an authentic Montessori learning experience. At our Alexandria location, we currently have 8 openings in our Primary classroom (ages 3-6), and 6 openings in our Toddler classroom. Additionally, there are 3 infant openings at this time.
Our first floor space is an open concept. Infants and toddlers share the same large classroom. Children ages 3-6 are in two classrooms on our second floor. Each classroom has one lead and assistant guide. We offer a year-round program, with intermittent breaks for Spring Break and Winter Break.
Scholarship Fund of Alexandria Annual Gala & Auction
Do good while having a good time at the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria’s 38th Annual Gala and Auction at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. The fun begins with a 2-hour open bar reception while mingling with 499 other Alexandrians who
