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U.Va., VCU researchers battle pandemic
While health care workers scrambled to keep up with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia, researchers in Charlottesville and Richmond were working to solve the pandemic. In March, VCU Health liver specialist and cancer researcher Dr. Arun Sanyal began testing remdesivir, an antiviral medication that is showing promis[...]
Ballad Health furloughs 200 Virginia workers
Not even health care systems are immune from the effects of COVID-19. Tennessee-based Ballad Health announced in early April it had furloughed between 200 and 250 Southwest Virginia employees to cut administrative costs and ensure it can keep critical frontline medical workers employed during the crisis. Other health systems op[...]
Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents names medical director
Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent County, which treats patients who suffer from chronic illness, brain injury or neurological impairment, announced this week that Dr. Brett Sharp has been named as its medical director, which became effective April 20. Sharp, who has 29 years of clinical experience, has[...]
Newport News Shipbuilding moving from three to two shifts
Newport News Shipbuilding is moving from three shifts to two shifts beginning Monday, with a three-hour period in between to allow cleaning of high-touch surfaces, President Jennifer Boykin announced Thursday during a virtual news conference. As another response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company will also begin taking the te[...]
Nonemergency medical procedures to resume Friday
Virginia hospitals, outpatient care providers, dentists and veterinarians can resume performing elective surgeries and nonemergency procedures after a temporary ban expires at midnight Thursday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced during a news conference on Wednesday. “I want to encourage all Virginians that your health care is [...]
State COVID-19 cases now exceed 14,000
As U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed the 1 million mark, Virginia has 14,328 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 513 confirmed virus-related deaths in Wednesday’s Virginia Department of Health update. This marks an increase of 534 cases since Tuesday. Also, there are 2,252 people hospitalized who have tested positive, and 85,307 people in Virginia have been tested. According […]
CDC dispatches team to Eastern Shore poultry plants
A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is arriving in Virginia today to assist with containing COVID-19 outbreaks among workers at two large poultry processing plants in Accomack County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced during a news briefing Monday. The plants, operated by Arkansas-based Tysons Foods Inc. and Ma[...]
Virginia COVID-19 cases now exceed 13,000
In its Monday update, the Virginia Department of Health reported that 13,058 people have confirmed cases of COVID-19, not including 499 probable cases. There are 454 deaths among Virginians who have tested positive for the virus, as well as four probable fatalities, and 2,059 people who are hospitalized have tested positive. Nearly 80,200 people have […]
Northam extends ban on elective surgeries until May 1
Gov. Ralph Northam on Thursday extended the ban on elective surgeries at Virginia hospitals until May 1, despite the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association’s (VHHA) letter sent to Northam urging him not to extend the executive order. Northam issued Order of Health Public Emergency Two on March 25, prohibiting non-e[...]
Virginia now has 10,600+ COVID-19 cases
Forty-seven days after COVID-19 was first found in Virginia, the state’s confirmed coronavirus cases have jumped over the 10,000 mark. The Virginia Department of Health reported Thursday that the commonwealth has 10,627 confirmed COVID-19 cases and an additional 371 probable cases. The report represents an increase of 672 [...]
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Virginia near 10,000
Virginia has 9,952 COVID-19 cases confirmed by testing, the Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday afternoon, as well as 314 probable cases. The confirmed virus-related death toll is 347, and 1,656 COVID-19-positive Virginians have been hospitalized. The numbers may be higher, though; this week, VDH began delineating probable cases in its daily update, following this […]
Virginia Tech develops in-house COVID-19 testing
Virginia Tech researchers announced Wednesday they have developed in-house COVID-19 testing kits and lab processing services to assist Southwest Virginia health departments with patient testing. Test results can be returned to the health departments as soon as same day. The initiative is being led by Dr. Michael Friedlander, Te[...]
