FAQ: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, the City of Falls Church and the towns within the county.

To help limit the spread of the coronavirus there are several closings and changes in Health Department Services that went into effect on March 30, 2020.

For the latest information about available services see this alert.

For more information about other Fairfax County operations, see the County Operating Status page.

Please see the county COVID-19 page for updates and other resources. 

See also:

VDH COVID-19 in Virginia

CDC COVID-19

Thank you for your interest in assisting the COVID-19 response effort. There are several ways that you can volunteer and donate. Please visit Ways to Donate and Help During COVID-19.

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities to assist with COVID-19, please consider joining the Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps. Information can be found on our website. After reviewing information, click on the link that says “Become an MRC Volunteer” at the bottom of the page

Information for parents, including answers to frequently asked questions, resources, and a glossary of terms is available on our Guidance for Parents of School-aged Children page.

You should get tested for COVID-19 if you have any symptoms — even if you have had the COVID-19 vaccine — or if you spent time with someone who has symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19.

You are encouraged to seek testing from your health care provider or other providers offering testing. Residents who exhibit COVID-19-like symptoms and do not have access to testing options available in the community may schedule an appointment for testing at a Health Department clinic. Call the call center at 703-324-7404 to schedule a testing appointment.

Please visit our testing page for more information about who we test and where to find testing locations in the Fairfax Health District. 

If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate and inform your contacts to stop the spread. See the steps you should take.

You can find more information about treatments on the following websites:

VDH: Treatments are available for COVID-19

VDH: What to do if you have confirmed or suspected coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

CDC: What to Do If You Are Sick

CDC: Caring for Someone Sick at Home

CDC: Treatments Your Healthcare Provider Might Recommend for Severe Illness

If you think you may be at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and you have a positive COVID-19 test or have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should talk with your healthcare provider about your situation and their medical recommendation(s). Contact a health professional right away after a positive test to determine if you may be eligible, even if your symptoms are mild right now. Don’t delay: Treatment must be started within the first few days to be effective.

If you are advised that medication is needed, these medicines require a prescription. If you are advised to receive monoclonal antibody therapy, you can search the monoclonal antibody locator to find the nearest treatment site. At this time, medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 are in limited supply, but more will be available.

VDH: Treatments are available for COVID-19

CDC: Treatments Your Healthcare Provider Might Recommend for Severe Illness

Fairfax County offers many options for people who lack medical insurance. Please see the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Health Care Options for the Uninsured website for those options.

CDC looks at the combination of three metrics to determine the COVID-19 community level — new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.

New COVID-19 admissions and the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied represent the current potential for strain on the health system. Data on new cases acts as an early warning indicator of potential increases in health system strain in the event of a COVID-19 surge. Using these data, the COVID-19 community level is classified as low, medium, or high.

To learn more about community levels, see CDC’s COVID-19 Community Levels page.

To find out a community level, see CDC’s COVID-19 by County page.

For information about travel within the United States and U.S. Territories, see CDC's Domestic Travel During COVID-19 page for the latest guidance.

For information about international travel, see CDC's International Travel page for the latest guidance.

Additional travel guidance is also available from VDH.

At this time, there is no data to suggest that this new coronavirus or other similar coronaviruses are spread by mosquitoes or ticks. The main way that COVID-19 spreads is from person to person, through respiratory droplets.

However, ticks and mosquito do spread other diseases. Learn more about how to protect yourself from the Disease Carrying Insect Program.

The American Mosquito Control Association has additional FAQs related to mosquitoes and coronavirus.

Sources: CDC, WHO

According to the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), when using an EPA-registered surface disinfectant, always follow the product’s directions and remember:

• Never apply the product to yourself or others. Do not ingest disinfectant products. This includes never applying any product on List N (the agency’s list of disinfectants to use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19) directly to food.
• Never mix products unless specified in the use directions. Certain combinations of chemicals will create highly toxic acids or gases.
• Wash the surface with soap and water before applying disinfectant products if the label mentions pre-cleaning.
• Follow the contact time listed for your product on List N. This is the amount of time the surface must remain visibly wet to ensure efficacy against the virus. It can sometimes be several minutes.
• Wash your hands after using a disinfectant. This will minimize your exposure to the chemicals in the disinfectant and the pathogen you are trying to kill.

Learn more from the EPA. 

See also: Tips for Cleaning and Disinfecting at Home during COVID-19

Facts matter.

See the CDC's Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines page and COVID-19 Myth and Rumor Control page  for more information about distinguish between some common rumors and facts regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Do your part to the stop the spread of coronavirus, as well as the spread of disinformation, by doing three easy things:

1. Don’t believe the rumors.
2. Don’t pass them along, especially on social media.
3. Go to trusted sources of information like Fairfax County Government, the Virginia Department of Heath and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get the facts about (COVID-19) response.

Public drinking water supplies are safe to drink, however the surfaces around the fountain including the spout, button/leaver and nozzles could pose a risk for the transmission of COVID-19 and other germs.

• Don’t place your mouth on the spout of the fountain or allow your water bottle to come into contact with the nozzle when refilling.
• Test the water flow and let the water flow for 10 seconds to allow for fresh, clean water to come through prior to drinking.
• If the fountain requires you to push a button or lever, clean the surface before and after, or use your elbow.
• Clean your hands afterwards with an alcohol-based rub or wash them with soap and water.

To minimize the risk of Legionnaire’s disease and other diseases associated with water, building operators need to take steps to ensure that all water systems and features (e.g., sink faucets, drinking fountains, decorative fountains) are safe to use after a prolonged facility shutdown. Drinking fountains should be cleaned and sanitized, but also encourage people to bring their own water to minimize use and touching of water fountains.

It's important to stay hydrated, especially during these very warm summer months, but to take into consideration these above recommendations.