The Fairfax County Health Department has added new data points to its COVID-19 Case Data Dashboard in an effort to keep the public informed during the COVID-19 emergency. The Fairfax Health District is composed of Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, and the towns of Herndon and Vienna.
In addition to cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities; rates by age, racial and ethnic groups; epidemic curve; and trajectory of cases; the Fairfax Health District data dashboard now includes data on probable cases, deceased cases by age group, and COVID-19 testing by week.
Per the direction of Governor Ralph Northam, and in coordination with Virginia Department of Health (VDH), case rates are now presented by 5-digit zip codes. The recent data release is a change from VDH’s long-standing policy not to disclose data at the ZIP code level, which is particularly important to protect patient privacy when there are relatively few cases of a disease.
“We continue to look at ways we can share data responsibly to keep residents informed of the extent of the outbreak in our health district,” said Fairfax Health Director Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu. “However, there are limitations to the information and it is important that people not use it to determine their individual level of risk.”
While there is community-wide transmission of COVID-19, the data does underscore some of the existing disparities in Fairfax which make certain populations more susceptible to exposure and to greater risks from COVID-19 infection, just as they are for other diseases and health conditions. Fairfax County Health Department has been working since 2005 to engage diverse populations on pandemic preparedness, including forming a Community Outreach Team and convening a Multicultural Advisory Council, to build capacity and foster community resiliency. Our community partners continue to be critical to the Health Department’s public information and response efforts for COVID-19.
We continue to urge everyone to vigilantly practice the actions proven to help slow the spread of COVID-19. These include staying home as much as possible and especially when sick; frequent hand washing; covering coughs and sneezes; cleaning and disinfecting surfaces regularly; staying at least 6 feet apart from other people when outside the home; and wearing a cloth face covering over the nose and mouth when it is essential to be in public and social distancing practices are difficult to maintain.
Stay Informed
This is a rapidly changing situation, and information is being shared as it becomes available.
- Call our Health Department Call Center at 703-267-3511 with coronavirus questions; open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
- Text FFXCOVID to 888777 to receive updates from Fairfax County about COVID-19; text FFXCOVIDESP to 888777 for updates in Spanish.
- Email questions or concerns to ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This email account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 6 p.m.
- Visit a web portal for coronavirus that serves as a one-stop online resource for information.
- Learn more about COVID-19 on the Health Department Coronavirus (COVID-19) Webpage or FAQ page.
- Follow the Fairfax County Government Facebook Page and Health Department Facebook Page.
- Follow @fairfaxcounty and @fairfaxhealth on Twitter.