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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 […]
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 “investi[...]
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 t[...]
Leidos lands $2B contract to provide military counseling
Reston-based Fortune 500 government contractor Leidos Holdings Inc. announced Tuesday it has received a $2 billion contract to provide nonmedical counseling to military service members and their families through the Department of Defense’s Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program. Under the contract, Leidos will [...]
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 […]
COVID roundup: Va. to receive more weekly vaccine doses immediately
Virginia expects to receive about 18,000 more weekly COVID-19 vaccine doses starting immediately, as the federal government’s pledge to increase distribution by about 16% kicks in Monday. That will raise the commonwealth’s vaccine supply from 118,000 doses to 128,000 doses per week, said Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator. Meanwhile, the number of virus-related […][...]
Delegate tries again to advance paid sick leave bill
RICHMOND,Va. — A Virginia House of Delegates committee advanced a measure into appropriations that would provide some essential workers with paid sick leave. House Bill 2137, introduced by Del. Elizabeth Guzman, D-Woodbridge, reported out of the House Labor and Commerce committee Thursday in a 13-8 vote along party lines. This is Guzman’s latest effort to […]
‘Fauci effect’ spurs med school applicant growth
It just got even more competitive to win a spot at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, which saw a 48% increase in applications last year. By the Dec. 1, 2020, application deadline, the medical school had received 6,374 applications for the class of 2025, which has a mere 49 openings. Last year, the […]
VDH will begin texting people who test positive for COVID-19
Starting Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health will begin sending a text to anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 if their mobile phone number is registered in the state’s system. The texts will automatically be sent to anyone with a positive lab test who has a valid mobile number, providing faster notification of r[...]
Bills advance to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine distribution
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia House and Senate have unanimously advanced separate bills to facilitate administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. House Bill 2333, introduced by Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Richmond, intends to strengthen the state’s vaccine distribution efforts and also bolster data collection. The measure removes ba[...]
State will accelerate COVID vaccinations, Northam pledges
Amid recent criticism from local officials and Virginia residents over the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout so far, Gov. Ralph Northam acknowledged citizen frustration and said the state is accelerating its efforts “to get more shots in more arms more quickly” and will also be “significantly expanding tra[...]
Local officials slam Northam administration’s COVID vaccine rollout
With Virginia lagging behind other states in getting residents vaccinated for COVID-19, officials in Hampton Roads, Fairfax County and Chesterfield County have gone straight to the governor with complaints and concerns about the process, which Chesterfield supervisors categorized as “totally defective” and Hampton R[...]
