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Seeking a cure
Ashley Apple has advice for those hoping to understand the burden nurses face as COVID-19 surges once again while hospitals suffer staff shortages. “Think of the worst day you’ve ever had at work. Then add in poor staffing and multiple human deaths. Then repeat it every day for 18 months,” she says. “That’s sort of […]
More Va. health systems announce vaccine mandates
Major hospital systems in Hampton Roads and Central Virginia announced Wednesday that they will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In Hampton Roads, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Riverside Health System and Sentara Healthcare jointly announced the requirement and began notifying employees Wednesday morning tha[...]
Va. is ready to deploy COVID vaccine booster doses
As COVID cases are on the rise again, driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus, the Virginia Department of Health has begun administering third COVID-19 vaccine doses to immunocompromised people and is ready to expand third-dose booster vaccinations to more Virginia residents on Sept. 20, the target date set by the federal government, state […]
Richmond mandates vaccinations for city employees
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Wednesday that all city employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, becoming the first Virginia locality to mandate vaccination. Fairfax County has taken steps in recent weeks toward a vaccination mandate for its 12,000 employees, but the county executive must make the final decision. Gov. Ralph Northam has […]
Northam: Many restrictions likely to be lifted June 15
Virginia will relax most COVID-19 mitigation measures by June 15 if vaccination numbers continue to increase and spread of the virus continues to decrease, Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday, but lifting the face mask mandate will likely take longer. “We will continue to evaluate our mask guidance,” the governor added, but social distancing requirements and […]
Reston-based Maximus gets $951M contract for national COVID hotline
Reston-based government services company Maximus has received a potential $951 million contract to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 national surge support and vaccine assistance hotline. In the early months of the pandemic, Maximus staffed a 500-person CDC call center to respond to call and emails from health care providers and the […]
Virginia public colleges can mandate COVID vaccines, Va. AG says
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia colleges are beginning to announce mandatory fall COVID-19 vaccine policies following the state attorney general’s opinion that higher education institutes can require the vaccine. Virginia public colleges and universities can mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for faculty and students returning to campus this fall, Attorney General Mark Herring stated in late April.[...]
Calling the shots
When the COVID-19 crisis began in early 2020, Dr. Danny Avula was the joint director of the Henrico County and Richmond health departments, a big job placing him in charge of public health for more than 560,000 residents. However, in early January, the scope of Avula’s responsibilities widened considerably after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tapped […]
Va. to loosen COVID restrictions April 1
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday he is “slowly and safely” lifting some COVID-19 restrictions statewide beginning April 1, including raising limits of gatherings to 30% capacity at entertainment venues. In most cases, outdoor gatherings will be limited to 100 people and indoor gatherings at 50 people, the governor said. Wedding venues, which have been under […]
COVID roundup: Nearly 25% of Virginians vaccinated; fewer restrictions expected April 1
Nearly a quarter of Virginia’s population has now been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s update Monday, March 22, and counties in the Eastern Shore, Southern Virginia and northern Shenandoah Valley have expanded vaccination to include people in group 1c. So far, 3.1 million vaccine doses have been administered statewide as […]
Va. pharmacies open vaccinations to essential workers, others
The Federal Retail Pharmacy program in Virginia is now providing COVID-19 vaccination to essential workers and people under age 65 with high-risk medical conditions, the Virginia Department of Health announced Wednesday. Currently, there are more than 300 pharmacies across the state receiving vaccine doses directly from the federal government, separate from the doses allocated to […]
Danville, Eastern Shore first Va. localities to move into third vaccination phase
Danville and Eastern Shore health districts will be moving into phase 1c of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout this week, vaccinating a variety of workers from sectors including energy, higher education, finance, legal and housing and construction. Other regions are likely to follow soon, the Virginia Department of Health announced Tuesday. Others in group 1c include […]
