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pandemic

Feb 15, 2021

COVID roundup: Despite flattening rates, some Va. ICUs overwhelmed

Over the past week, Virginia recorded its 7,000th COVID-19 death and passed its 1 millionth person vaccinated, while the number of new cases and fatalities continue to decline. At the same time, however, some of the state’s intensive care units are full, according to federal data collected at the beginning of the month. In a […]

Feb 11, 2021

Chesapeake Economic Development offers extra $1M for small businesses

Through the Chesapeake Economic Development department’s latest $1 million round of COVID-19 grants, small businesses can receive up to $10,000 for reimbursable business expenses related to the pandemic, such as rent, payroll and operating costs. This marks the department’s third round of Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant program funding. So far, the department has disbursed [&hel[...]

Feb 11, 2021

Initial jobless claims dropped 21.9% last week, but remain elevated

Initial jobless claims filed last week dropped 21.9% from the previous week, but still remain high compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to figures released Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission. During the week ending Feb. 6, 14,203 Virginians filed initial unemployment claims, compared to 18,177 from the week prior.  Last week, 65,091 Virginians remained unemployed, […]

Feb 10, 2021

Northam requests federal support to vaccinate federal employees

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser jointly issued a request Wednesday for federal support with vaccinating essential federal employees against COVID-19, many of whom live in the greater D.C. area. Northam, Hogan and Bowser sent a letter to the leaders of the U.S. Department of Health and […]

Feb 9, 2021

CVS vaccine rollout starts in Virginia

Updated 3:40 p.m., Feb. 9 Virginia residents 65 and older are now able to register for vaccinations that will be given starting Friday at CVS locations across Virginia as part of an expansion of the federal COVID-19 vaccination program. CVS will supplement existing vaccination programs by providing 26,000 more shots a week to Virginians, the […]

Feb 8, 2021

COVID roundup: Cases lower, vaccinations rate improves in Va.

A year after the United States declared a public health emergency in response to the coronavirus, the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 27 million as of Monday, Feb. 8. Here in Virginia, the number of new cases and deaths declined over the past week, although two highly contagious variant strains of the […]

Feb 5, 2021

South African COVID-19 variant case reported in Va., governor says

UPDATED 4 P.M. FEB. 5 Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday the highly contagious South African variant of COVID-19 has shown up in a case in Virginia, identified by private laboratory Labcorp on Thursday. The sample came from an adult in Eastern Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health, which said it was “investigating this […]

Del. Guzman, D-Woodbridge, stands with Biden supporters raising support for workers rights for essential workers. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Guzman)
Feb 4, 2021

Virginia House advances paid leave bill for essential workers

RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill on Thursday which would provide paid leave to essential workers. House Bill 2137, introduced by Del. Elizabeth Guzman, D-Woodbridge, would require essential businesses to offer paid leave to their workers, according to the bill. Employees must be offered a minimum of one paid hour […]

Feb 4, 2021

Health Wagon says it hasn’t received COVID-19 vaccine doses

The head of The Health Wagon, the Wise County-based free clinic system that serves more than 5,600 patients in Southwest Virginia, many with medical vulnerabilities, said in a Thursday interview on “CBS This Morning” that the clinic has not received any COVID-19 vaccine doses from the state government. According to the Virginia Department of Health, […]

Initial unemployment insurance claimants by county and city weeks ending Jan. 30 over Jan. 23 change. Green shows a decrease, yellow shows an increase of 1 to 10 claimants and red shows an increase of 11 to 58 claimants. Graphic courtesy Virginia Employment Commission
Feb 4, 2021

Va. initial jobless claims remain high

Initial jobless claims filed last week were essentially unchanged compared with the previous week, but remain high compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to figures released Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission. During the week ending Jan. 30, 18,177 Virginians filed initial unemployment claims (compared to 18,312 from the week prior).  “Elevated levels in recent weeks […[...]

Feb 4, 2021

New drug cocktail appears to block COVID among people exposed to virus

The University of Virginia Health System is testing an antibody cocktail that so far has blocked 100% of symptomatic COVID-19 cases among people who were exposed to the coronavirus, U.Va. Health announced this week. New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals produces the treatment, which is being tested at several facilities, and also has proven to be effective […]

A substitute for HB 2015 defined an essential worker as a healthcare provider, homecare provider, airport worker, or one that works for an essential retail business. Essential retail businesses do not include restaurants, banks, or financial institutions. | Photo by Cameron Jones, Capital News Service
Feb 3, 2021

Va. House kills bill requiring hazard pay for essential employees

RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers unanimously shot down legislation this week that would have required employers to provide hazard pay to essential employees and provide protective equipment in the event of a stay-at-home order. Del. Hala S. Ayala, D-Woodbridge, said she introduced House Bill 2015 to help protect and further compensate employees required to work during […]

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