Cases of COVID-19 are increasing significantly in Alexandria, reaching the highest seven-day case average since the pandemic began and a test positivity rate of 9.7 percent (the highest since June).
More people are getting sick in part because of an increase in residents doing unnecessary activities, such as social gatherings, attending entertainment events, eating inside a restaurant or leisure travel, according to the Alexandria Department of Health.
Alexandria and Virginia are following a nationwide trend of significant increases in COVID-19 cases, which reached a new record on Wednesday nationwide.
Although Alexandria has not had a COVID-19 death since Dec. 5, more than 3,000 people died from COVID-19 on Wednesday in the United States, setting a new unfortunate record for daily deaths from the novel coronavirus.
AHD Interviews Reveal COVID-19 Transmission Causes
In November, Alexandria Health Department (AHD) case investigators interviewed 760 residents diagnosed with COVID-19. Case investigators asked people to recall their activities during the two weeks before they felt sick to identify potential sources of COVID-19 exposure.
Individuals could have identified more than one possible location or activity that led to infection. Of the total potential exposure sources reported by those interviewed, AHD found that:
- 29% of responses indicated contact with someone in their home who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, whether it was a member of the household or someone visiting.
- 27% of responses indicated participation in non-essential activities, such as attending public events, social gatherings or entertainment activities (most often indoors); traveling outside of the Alexandria and Washington D.C. region (most often within the U.S.); or going to restaurants or bars (most often eating indoors).
- 23% of responses indicated they had made trips to their workplaces.
The activities an individual reported may or may not have been the sources of COVID-19 exposure for that individual; however, they do demonstrate trends and suggest common links for people who become ill.
Based on this exposure analysis, AHD continues to emphasize the need for the following precautions to lower the risk of activities commonly reported by people diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Protect co-workers by not entering workplaces when ill or recently in close contact with someone with COVID-19.
- If someone in the household is ill, immediately take precautions such as wearing masks when in common areas, avoiding shared utensils and staying 6 feet apart.
- Limit indoor social gatherings, and choose lower risk activities for holiday celebrations.
- Avoid travel as much as possible, particularly to areas of the U.S. experiencing surges of cases. For necessary travel, follow CDC’s guidance to lower risk of COVID-19.
- Wear masks as much as possible when around other people outside of the home, including while waiting to order or receive food at restaurants, or inside the home if you’re infectious.
- Support businesses that have completed the ALX Promise voluntary accreditation program, since these entities have taken additional training with AHD and have pledged to go above and beyond minimum state safety standards for employees and customers. (You can always shop for holiday presents online from local shops.)
These results mirror last month’s analysis, other local analyses, and research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. AHD resources are now focused on responding to the rising cases and in preparation for upcoming vaccination initiatives.
