COVID roundup: 1 year into pandemic, Va. makes headway with vaccinations
A year after the first COVID-19 cases in Virginia were recorded, the state is making significant headway in vaccinating residents. As of Monday, March 8, 1.49 million Virginians — or 17.5% of the state’s population — have received at least one shot. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-related deaths in Virginia was still higher than average […]
COVID roundup: Johnson & Johnson vaccine headed to Va. this week
Virginia expects to receive its first allocation of 69,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses produced by Johnson & Johnson this week, along with about 360,000 more doses from Moderna and Pfizer Inc., the Virginia Department of Health announced this weekend. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — which requires only one […]
Virginia could get 400K+ COVID vaccine doses for first week of March
Virginia could receive up to 433,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses for the first week of March, depending on the timing of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine, according to Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator. During a Friday news conference, Avula said the state expects to […]
Va. vaccine doses will get ‘big bump’ next week
Virginia’s vaccine coordinator, Dr. Danny Avula, said Friday he expects about 213,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to come to the state weekly, beginning next week. That’s an increase of about 60,000 doses from the past week. Last week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the federal government would up weekly national distribution from 11 million […]
Va. saw slight uptick in jobless claims last week
Initial jobless claims filed last week rose 4.9% from the previous week, according to figures released Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission, while continued claims slightly dropped. During the week ending Feb. 13, 14,901 Virginians filed initial unemployment claims, compared to 14,203 from the week prior. Last week, 62,624 Virginians remained unemployed; that represents 40,143 [&hellip[...]
State launches COVID-19 vaccine hotline
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday that a COVID-19 vaccine hotline, staffed with about 750 customer service employees, has launched. The number is (877) VAX-IN-VA, or (877) 829-4682. The phone number, targeted for Virginians without reliable internet access, opened the day after the Virginia Department of Health started a statewide vaccine registration website, replacing local health […[...]
Yorktown consulting firm sues SCHEV over VMI probe contract
A Yorktown-based consultancy is suing the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the firm conducting an investigation into Virginia Military Institute’s racial attitudes and practices, a contract the plaintiff unsuccessfully bid on last year. In a civil suit filed Feb. 11 in Richmond Circuit Court, the Center for Applied Innovation LLC (CAI) seeks […]
Business groups ask Va. lawmakers for higher PPP tax deductions
Virginia’s two legislative bodies have not yet agreed on an amount that Virginia businesses can deduct from federal Paycheck Protection Program loans they received last year, and how much of the loans they’ll have to pay state taxes on. Business groups are asking state lawmakers to allow higher deductions — especially for sectors like hospitality […]
Virginia Rent Relief Program receiving extra $524M
Landlords and tenants have additional rental assistance on the way. On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that $524 million in federal funding will go toward the Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP), funded through the Emergency Rental Assistance program. “RRP is based on a unique, collaborative partnership between tenants and landlords to ensure both remain whole […]
Northam announces $730.2M state revenue forecast increase
Gov. Ralph Northam’s revised budget released Monday shows that the commonwealth expects a $730.2 million increase in this year’s revenues forecast over December 2020, from $46 billion to more than $46.7 billion during the next two years. “These revised budget numbers tell us that Virginia’s economy continues to thrive, in spite of the pandemic,” Northam […]
Va. General Fund revenue dropped 2.4% in January
Virginia’s General Fund revenue for January 2021 decreased 2.4% compared with January 2020, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. Total revenue collections rose 6% through January on a fiscal year-to-date basis, which was well ahead of the 1.2% growth forecast. “As we work to put this pandemic behind us, we must stay focused on positioning our […]
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 […]