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Two Alexandria Women Die of COVID-19, Cases now at 1,887

Two Alexandria women are the latest fatalities of COVID-19 in Alexandria, as the number of cases jumped to 1,887, an increase of 63 reported cases since yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

There are now 44 deaths in the city related to the virus, and the most recent victims were two Alexandria women, one in her 80s and the other in her 60s. Today is the third straight day that deaths associated with the virus have been announced in the city.

The number of known cases was expected to rise in the city, as 3,000 tests were administered at Cora Kelly School and Landmark Mall on Monday. As more testing is done and the city starts to reopen, Health Director Dr. Stephen Haering said an increase in new confirmed cases is expected.

It is not clear how many residents have recovered since the first case was announced on March 11, though Mayor Justin Wilson noted in a town hall last week that hospitalizations have been either level or trending downward.

There have been more than 1,000 new cases and more than a dozen coronavirus-related deaths in the city this month alone. 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 are now 19 reported deaths of residents in their 80s and 13 deaths of residents in their 70s.

Hispanic residents make up 17% of the population and are leading with the highest number of cases in the city with six Deaths, 856 cases and 79 hospitalizations.

There have been 8,296 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests administered in the Alexandria so far, and the city’s seven-day positivity rate shows an 18.2% infection rate of those tested. There have also been 1,153 antibody tests in Alexandria. Across Virginia, there have been 285,273 PCR tests administered with a seven-day positivity rate of 13.8% (and 34,327 antibody tests).

Statewide, there have been 1,281 reported deaths (45 since yesterday), and 1,175 of those deaths are confirmed to have been COVID-19-related, according to VDH. There are now 40,249 cases (38,276 confirmed, 1,973 probable) and 4,385 hospitalizations (including 34 probable cases).

COVID-19 Age and Sex Breakdown

There are 973 females with the virus (with 23 deaths and 79 hospitalizations) and 907 males (with 21 deaths and 101 hospitalizations) who tested positive for COVID-19 in the city. The sex of seven cases was not reported.

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

  • 80+     — 19 deaths, 74 cases, 23 hospitalizations (No change)74, 24, 19
  • 70-79 — 13 deaths, 88 cases, 33 hospitalizations
  • 60-69 — Two deaths, 160 cases, 30 hospitalizations
  • 50-59 — Nine deaths, 248 cases, 35 hospitalizations
  • 40-49 — Zero deaths, 360 cases, 28 hospitalizations
  • 30-39 — Zero deaths, 440 cases, 23 hospitalizations
  • 20-29 — One death, 278 cases, five hospitalizations
  • 10-19  — Zero deaths, 127 cases, one hospitalization
  • 0-9     — Zero deaths, 104 cases, one hospitalizations
  • Missing — Eight cases not listed by age

There have been 129 cases associated with 12 outbreaks in the city, and 111 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.

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.

VDH did not update the following ZIP code data since yesterday. Some of the areas share jurisdictions between Alexandria and Arlington and Fairfax Counties:

  • 22301 — 64 cases, 575 people tested (Estimated population 15,171)
  • 22302 — 191 cases, 851 people tested (Estimated population 20,238)
  • 22304 — 557 cases, 2,722 people tested (Estimated population 54,003)
  • 22305 — 523 cases, 1,614 people tested (Estimated population 16,095)
  • 22311 — 364 cases, 1,250 people tested (Estimated population 16,898)
  • 22312 — 419 cases, 1,618 people tested (Estimated population 6,901)
  • 22314 — 162 cases, 1,284 people tested (Estimated population 47,826)

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, 856 cases, 79 hospitalizations
  • White, non-Hispanic residents — 27 deaths, 655 cases, 68 hospitalizations
  • Black/African American residents — 11 deaths, 259 cases, 50 hospitalizations
  • Not Hispanic or Latino — 35 deaths, 567 cases, 97 hospitalizations
  • Not reported — Five deaths, 589 cases, 15 hospitalizations
  • Other — One death, 384 cases, 47 hospitalizations

The full timeline of the spread so far:

Photo by Billy Sabatini