Covid cases continue to recede in Alexandria for the fourth straight week, and local pharmacies are now giving out free adult N95 face masks as part of a new federal program.

There were also seven news deaths reported since this time last week, bringing the death toll from the virus to 172.

The new face masks can be found at the same pharmacies that provide free COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Alexandria Health Department.

There have been 28,838 total reported cases in Alexandria, an increase of 536 cases since this time last week. The seven day average of daily new cases is now 77, down from 84.5 this time last week. The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests is now 12.4%, down from 15.7% last week.

The city’s transmission rate went from “Substantial” to “High” in December.

Fluctuating ACPS numbers

There have also been 506 cases reported within Alexandria City Public Schools since Dec. 1, of which 434 are children and 85 are staff, although the numbers listed on the school system’s new dashboard have proved unreliable.

• Last week the dashboard listed 523 cases systemwide with 202 student infections and 46 infected staffers since Dec. 1
• Two weeks ago, ACPS reported 930 cases since Dec. 1, with 288 infected children and 620 infected staffers

Vaccine stats

• There are 26,907 unvaccinated Alexandria residents
• About 74% of residents (114,195 people) are fully vaccinated
• 83% (126,973) of residents have gotten at least one dose
• As of Feb. 4, 53,396 residents have gotten a booster shot

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.

The number of positive Covid cases continues to go down in Alexandria, as officials say that the latest wave of Omicron cases will recede within a month.

While cases have gone down for the third straight week, numbers are still historically high.

“Right now the transmission still remains at historically high levels,” Alexandria Health Department Director,Dr. David C. Rose told City officials recently. ” Previously in the pandemic, we only had a handful of days with over 120 cases per day… Modeling shows that we should be out of the current surge within a month or so.”

There have been 28,302 total reported cases in Alexandria, an increase of 949 cases since this time last week. There have also been 9,822 cases reported in Alexandria in January, including 523 cases reported within Alexandria City Public Schools since Dec. 1, of which 202 are children and 46 are staff.

In the meantime, the city is continuing to ask residents, businesses and visitors to “Wear It Well” by wearing face masks in public indoor spaces, whether vaccinated or not.

The city’s transmission rate went from “Substantial” to “High” last month.

By the numbers

• The number of deaths remains at 165.
• The seven day average of daily new cases is now 84.5, down from 208 this time last week
• The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests is now 15.7%, down from 21.7% last week

Vaccine stats

• There are 28,503 unvaccinated Alexandria residents
• About 70% of residents (107,641 people) are fully vaccinated
• 82% (126,279) of residents have gotten at least one dose
• As of last week, 45,919 residents have gotten a booster shot

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.

Alexandria’s Covid numbers are still going down for the second straight week. The city has experienced 8,873 cases in January, making it one of the worst months since the beginning of the pandemic nearly two years ago.

There have been 27,353 total cases in Alexandria, an increase of 1,467 cases since this time last week. There have also been 8,873 cases reported in Alexandria so far this month, including 930 cases reported within Alexandria City Public Schools since Dec. 1, of which 288 are children and 620 are staff.

The number of deaths has climbed by two since last week to 165.

The city’s transmission rate went from “Substantial” to “High” last month.

By the numbers

• The seven day average of daily new cases is now 208, down from 337 this time last week
• The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests is now 21.7%, down from 27.4% last week

Vaccine stats

• There are 28,503 unvaccinated Alexandria residents
• About 70% of residents (107,389 people) are fully vaccinated
• 82% (125,965) of residents have gotten at least one dose
• As of last week, 44,419 residents have gotten a booster shot (current numbers not available on VDH website)

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.

The last month was rough, but:

Alexandria’s new case volume and positivity rate are dropping precipitously

Hospitalizations and deaths DID NOT track the case growth

We have the 2nd-lowest positivity in Virginia

Our testing centers all have appointments available for today. pic.twitter.com/gJ4XTqcMFV

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) January 24, 2022

The number of COVID infections in Alexandria continues to rise at an alarming rate, as the number of reported infections has reached 23,325, an increase of nearly 2,500 cases in less than a week. In the meantime, staff at Inova Alexandria Hospital are seeing hospitalizations rise to 2020.

“The staff is working overtime,” Inova Alexandria Hospital President Dr. Rina Bansal told ALXnow. “We’re making sure that they’re not working overtime to the extent where it compromises their safety or patient safety.”

There are about 20 patients in the hospital seeking treatment for COVID-19, according to the Virginia Department of Health.  The number of fatalities due to the virus remains at 161, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Visitation is also restricted at the hospital, although patients are allowed into the facility with a companion — just like the visitation policy that was in place at the beginning of the pandemic. Consequently, Bansal is asking that residents not come to the hospital unless they specifically need hospital-based treatment.

“Clinically we’re much more comfortable in managing the disease itself,” Bansal said. “At this point, we have almost two years of experience under our belt.”

By the numbers

• The seven day average of daily new cases is now 475.7, up from 399 last week
• The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests is now 30.9%, up from 28.6% last week

Vaccine stats

• There are 29,495 unvaccinated Alexandria residents
• About 69% of residents (106,456 people) are fully vaccinated
• 81% (124,385) of residents have gotten at least one dose
• 42,506 residents have gotten a booster shot

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.

Alexandria surged past 20,000 new cases of COVID-19 going into the New Year, and on Sunday (Jan. 2) set yet another single-day record for the most reported cases ever.

COVID-19 peaked in Alexandria on Sunday with 1,040 newly reported cases, according to the Virginia Department of Health. As of today (Tuesday, Jan. 4) there have been 20,875 reported cases, which is more than 3,000 within the last week.

There have also been four more deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 161.

By the numbers

• The seven day average of daily new cases is now 399, up from 248 last week
• The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests is now 28.6%, up from 13.3% last week
• There are 20 infections currently being treated at Inova Alexandria Hospital

Vaccine stats

• There are 30,233 unvaccinated Alexandria residents
• About 69% of residents (106,155 people) are fully vaccinated
• 80% (123,647) of residents have gotten at least one dose
• 40,594 residents have gotten a booster shot

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.

Alexandria set a new record of COVID infections on Christmas Day (Saturday, Dec. 25), according to the Virginia Department of Health. That beats the last single-day record of 316 cases, which was set just two days before.

As of today (Monday, Dec. 27), there have been 17,814 reported cases of the coronavirus in Alexandria, which is more than 1,700 new cases since this time last week. The number of deaths from the virus remains at 157.

By the numbers

• The seven day average of daily new cases is now 248, up from 111
• The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests is now 13.3%, up from 7.2%
• COVID-related hospitalizations in the city remain low, with eight infections treated in the hospital in the past week

Alexandria transmission rate went from “Substantial” to “High” at the end of November, and sharply rising numbers even prompted the cancellation of Alexandria’s New Year’s Eve celebration — although the fireworks show over the Potomac River is still on for the stroke of midnight.

Just as with Thanksgiving, the Alexandria Health Department recommends avoiding crowds, getting COVID-tested three-to-five days after returning from the winter holiday and get vaccinated.

Vaccine stats

• There are 32,189 unvaccinated Alexandria residents
• About 69% of residents (105,713 people) are fully vaccinated
• 80% (122,618) of residents have gotten at least one dose
• About 58% (10,179) of the city’s 5-17-year-olds are fully vaccinated
• 38,558 residents have gotten a booster shot

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.

First Night Alexandria, the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration, has been canceled due to skyrocketing cases of COVID-19.

With testing at an all-time high, a record-setting 316 new cases of COVID-19 was reported in Alexandria today (Thursday, Dec. 23) by the Virginia Department of Health.

This is the second year in a row that the in-person event, which is usually attended by thousands, has been canceled, and refunds will be issued to event ticket-holders. The fireworks are still on for midnight, however, and will last 10 minutes.

“We regret to inform you that ALL FIRST NIGHT ALEXANDRIA SHOWS AND ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED to prevent the further spread of COVID-19,” First Night Alexandria said on its website. “This follows the Alexandria Health Department’s recommendation and the City of Alexandria’s agreement to cancel activities that encourage crowds to gather in a central location.”

First Night Alexandria recommends watching the fireworks from the following vantage points:

• Canal Center Plaza (Center Canal Plaza)
• Rivergate Park (2 Montgomery St.)
• Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison St.)
• Founders Park (351 North Union St.)
• Waterfront Park (1A Prince St.)
• Windmill Hill Park (501 South Union St.)
• Ford’s Landing Boardwalk (99 Franklin St.)
• Jones Point Park (Jones Point Dr.)
• George Washington Masonic Temple (101 Callahan Dr.)

Case Update

There are now 16,811 cases reported in Alexandria, and the death toll from the virus is 157. The previous single-day record for reported cases was 168 on Jan. 9.

There are 108,834 fully vaccinated residents, which is about 71% of the total population. There have been 37,376 residents who have gotten a booster shot.

COVID-related hospitalizations in the city remain low, however, with none reported today at Inova Alexandria Hospital. There have been seven infected patients treated in the hospital in the past week.

A number of local nonprofits are rolling up their sleeves to increase outreach for COVID-19 vaccines for children with families ages 5-11.

The “Sleeves Up, ALX: COVID-19 Vaccine Partnership Program” is a collaboration between ACT for Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department, which dispersed $145,657 in grant funding to increase awareness of booster shots with populations disproportionately affected by the virus and provide information for young families.

“These organizations bring that critical message to our underserved communities by meeting people where they are and in the language they prefer,” said Natalie Talis, AHD’s population health manager. “Our residents deserve access to life-saving information and vaccines.”

The following nonprofits received grant funds:

• African Communities Together
• Capital Youth Empowerment Program
• Communities In Schools NOVA
• Edu-Futuro
• EnDependence Center of Northern Virginia
• Restoration Immigration Legal Aid
• Senior Services of Alexandria
• Tenants and Workers United

“These organizations have the trusted relationships, innovative ideas and know how that will enable us to reach neighbors who are most at-risk,” said ACT’s President and CEO Heather Peeler.

The program started last month and will run until March 2022.

In the last two weeks, Alexandria went from just over 15,000 reported cases of COVID-19 to surpassing 16,000 cases.

As of today (Monday, Dec. 20) there have been 16,075 reported cases of the coronavirus in Alexandria, and more of 800 of new infections have listed since this time last week by the Virginia Department of Health. There have also been 156 deaths from the virus.

The Alexandria Health Department says “individual actions” will slow down the spread, and urged “practical” safety precautions over the holidays.

In the meantime, the First Night Alexandria celebration on New Year’s Eve in is still on. The event brings thousands of people to Old Town for dozens of events and culminates with fireworks on the waterfront.

“First Night Alexandria is committed to keeping the health and safety of our community our top priority,” First Night Alexandria says on its website.

Alexandria’s transmission rate went from “Substantial” to “High” at the end of November, and AHD advises residents to limit the number of people at celebrations, take COVID tests, avoid travel and get booster shots.

“Cases have been increasing over the past few weeks following a post-Thanksgiving surge,” the city said in a weekly release. “Based on a recent AHD analysis of November cases, unvaccinated people are 4 times more likely to get COVID-19, and 5 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to fully vaccinated people. However, with the significantly increased transmission rates, there is also a rise in cases among those who are fully vaccinated.”

The seven day average of daily new cases is now 111, and the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases for every 100,000 people is 69, up from 25.3 last week. The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests is now 7.2%, up from 5.1% last week.

Contact tracing

The rise in cases has forced the health department’s contact tracers to shift their workload, and they will no longer make multiple attempts to reach residents who test positive.

“Currently, staff will only make one phone call with a voicemail and send one text message,” AHD said. “Residents are strongly urged to answer calls from AHD or to return them for guidance on next steps. Those who are positive should also begin calling their potential close contacts to let them know they may have been exposed and to get tested as soon as possible, regardless of vaccination status.”

Vaccine update

About 57% of Alexandria’s 5-17-year-olds (10,024 people) have been fully vaccinated, as have 73% (95,273) of residents older than 18, and about 84% (16,244) of seniors. Additionally, 35,886 residents have gotten booster shots.

There are still 32,493 unvaccinated residents.

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.

Alexandria’s COVID-19 infections jumped after Thanksgiving, and the numbers continue to rise going into the winter holidays.

There were 116 new cases reported in the city today (Friday), which is the most single-day cases reported since January 2021. There have been 301 new cases reported in the City in the last three days alone, and this “exponential” jump in COVID-19 cases, as described by the Health Department Thursday night, has stretched to Alexandria City Public Schools, as it waves farewell to 15,000 students for the two week winter break starting Monday.

There were 32 new cases reported across ACPS on Dec. 15 (Wednesday); 52 cases reported between Dec. 14 and Dec. 16, and more than 40 new cases reported last week, the Alexandria Health Department reported to the School Board on Thursday night.

Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. told the Board that ACPS will not revert to system-wide virtual learning, and will monitor rising numbers to determine if individual schools need to shift back to an all-virtual environment on a case-by-case basis.

Hutchings also told the Board that the ACPS COVID-19 Dashboard will be updated more regularly to provide current numbers, which will be used to “determine if we need to revert to a virtual setting.”

Earlier this week, the Dashboard showed only 19 infections in the month of December. That has since been changed to 59 reported cases, significantly below the 122 cases reported since Dec. 6.

The Virginia Department of Health reports that 56% of the city’s 5-17-year-olds are fully vaccinated. In ACPS, 120 staffers are not vaccinated due to religious and medical exemptions, but they are being tested weekly and none have been fired because of refusing to take the vaccine, Hutchings said.

Alexandria’s transmission rate went from “Substantial” to “High” at the end of November, and the numbers of new infections have climbed at rates not seen since January of this year.

Consequently, ACPS recommends the following travel guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Delay travel until you are fully vaccinated
• Check your destination’s COVID-19 situation before traveling. State, local, and territorial governments may have travel restrictions in place
• Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is required in indoor areas of public transportation (including airplanes) and indoors in U.S. transportation hubs (including airports)
• Do not travel if you have been exposed to COVID-19, you are sick, or if you test positive for COVID-19
• If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, get tested both before and after your trip

ACPS also asks families to check their emails and answer phone calls, since callers could be contract tracers with the Health Department or ACPS informing of an exposure.