Health accelerator program coming to Richmond
Richmond-based seed-stage accelerator Lighthouse Labs is partnering with the Health Innovation Consortium (HIC) to start a health-focused startup accelerator program in Virginia, the groups announced Thursday. Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU Health and Richmond-based nonprofit Activation Capital created HIC, which launched in January 2019 to bring health care ideas to the market. “Health systems, particularly academic [&hellip[...]
Mayor: Richmond may not join Phase One reopening unless state provides more support
Update, May 14 at 6:15 p.m.: Gov. Ralph Northam announced that the city of Richmond and Accomack County will delay Phase One of the reopening plan by two weeks, joining localities in Northern Virginia. Earlier: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has said that the city may not join Gov. Ralph Northam’s Phase One reopening plan on[...]
U.Va. research to inform COVID-19 drug treatment
The University of Virginia School of Medicine announced Tuesday that results from a 2019 U.Va. study are being used to inform a national study looking into the effectiveness of the antidepressant medication fluvoxamine as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say the drug may prevent dangerous […]
State’s virus cases increase by nearly 1,000 in 24 hours
Virginia now has 26,746 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, the Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday. That’s an increase of 946 cases since Tuesday. Also, 927 deaths related to the coronavirus were reported in the daily update, up from 891 Tuesday. There are 3,520 people hospitalized with confirmed cases or probable cases statewide, and 160,077 […]
Northern Va. reopening delayed until May 29
In a new executive order, Gov. Ralph Northam allows localities in Northern Virginia to delay reopening nonessential businesses until Friday, May 29, two weeks after the rest of the state enters Phase One of the governor’s “Forward Virginia” plan. The counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, as well as the cities of Alexandria, […]
Northam: NoVa will not enter Phase One on Friday
Update, May 12: In a new executive order, Northern Virginia localities will delay Phase One by two weeks, allowing businesses to reopen on a limited basis May 29, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The rest of the state will enter Phase One on Friday as planned, the governor said in a statement. Earlier: Northern Virginia wi[...]
NoVa officials say region’s not ready to reopen
Northern Virginia elected officials — as well as local health department directors — have asked Gov. Ralph Northam to wait on allowing local businesses to reopen until the hard-hit region’s COVID-19 cases have shown a continuous decline, along with meeting other metrics. “Based on our assessment, we do not believe that the Northern Virginia region […]
VCU tests third COVID-19 drug, this time targeting inflammation
Researchers at VCU Health now are conducting trials on a third drug to help treat COVID-19, a medication that suppresses inflammation in people with a type of juvenile arthritis. Canakinumab is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in arthritis patients, but a new study — launched April 29 at VCU [&[...]
Va. COVID-19 cases now exceed 22,000
The total number of confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Virginia is now 22,342, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Friday update, with 812 virus-related deaths and 3,059 people hospitalized. In the past 24 hours, there were 43 more deaths recorded — including confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases — and 772 more cases. Also, […]
Reopening: Too early, or not soon enough?
UPDATED MAY 8 Gov. Ralph Northam is likely to loosen restrictions next Friday on “nonessential” businesses, allowing gyms, spas, theaters, dine-in restaurants and other enterprises to reopen after more than seven weeks, but feelings are mixed about the wisdom of this decision, given that Virginia saw a 36% increase in confir[...]
Localities can tighten restrictions after businesses reopen, Northam says
Reopening the state is “not written in stone,” Gov. Ralph Northam cautioned Wednesday during his regular COVID-19 news conference. It appears as if he will go forward with easing restrictions on nonessential businesses next Friday as previously announced, but the timeline could change, depending on various factors, i[...]
Northam says businesses could begin reopening as soon as May 15
Restaurants, salons, retail stores, gyms and other recreational businesses will likely begin reopening on May 15, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. Unless “something drastically changes,” the governor said he expects to start reopening Virginia businesses in a phased approach at the end of next week. Nort[...]