Northern Virginia Health Districts Stress Importance of Taking Steps to Stay Safe from COVID-19 during this Winter Surge

December 9, 2021

Media Contact: Lorrie Andrew-Spear. Lorrie.Andrew-Spear@vdh.virginia.gov

Northern Virginia Health Districts Stress Importance of Taking Steps to Stay Safe from COVID-19 during this Winter Surge

As disease transmission increases, Public Health leaders in the Northern Virginia region (Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington Counties, including all towns and municipalities- and the City of Alexandria) are encouraging residents to maintain their vigilance in curbing the spread of COVID-19 to minimize hospitalizations and deaths during this winter surge.

Since the start of this pandemic almost two years ago, there have been more than 2,600 COVID-19 deaths, 9,000 hospitalizations, and 230,000 cases in northern Virginia. Many of the hospitalizations and deaths occurred during last winter’s surge.

Fortunately, this winter we have wide access to vaccinations, which have been shown to lead to a dramatic reduction in hospitalizations and death. Additionally, indoor mask use in work and school settings has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of transmission; this is seen most strikingly in the higher number and size of COVID-19 outbreaks in school settings where masks are less used, such as in athletics or in schools that have higher rates of mask exemptions.

“Northern Virginia residents have continually shown that we can work together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic – through vaccination, indoor mask use, testing and staying home when sick,” said Dr. David C. Rose, health director for the City of Alexandria. “We all need to keep up our defenses throughout the winter surge to best protect ourselves and to keep our kids in school.”

Health Directors in the Northern Virginia region are closely monitoring the rapid increase in cases in Northern Virginia and the disease trends locally, as well as the potential impact of the Omicron variant. Their recommendations are based on those trends in addition to vaccination coverage, the presence of COVID-19 variants and other factors.

With more people spending time indoors with others as cold weather sets in, public health leaders encourage everyone to maintain their layered prevention activities which may include:

  • Get all members of your family age 5 years and older fully vaccinated, including booster shots if eligible.
  • Wear a mask indoors when around those not in your household.
  • Stay home when sick.
  • Socially distance – stay six feet from others as much as possible.
  • Avoid crowded and indoor areas where distancing is not possible, or where you will be in close contact with those whose vaccination status is unknown.
  • If you think you may have COVID-19 or may have been exposed, get tested and follow guidelines for isolation and quarantine.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available. This will help prevent many diseases, including the seasonal flu.
  • If you are not fully vaccinated, stay away from others and get tested 3-5 days after returning home from travel.

While we can’t predict how COVID-19 may act in the future as new variants emerge, we do know that maximizing these mitigation steps is the best way to protect our community, keep children in schools, and safely make it through this winter surge.

For more information on COVID-19, visit staywellnova.com. To find a vaccination location, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call (877) VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682). Assistance is available in English, Spanish, and more than 100 other languages.

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