Health and Medicine
Governor Northam
(AP) Most of Virginia’s state workers will have to be vaccinated or agree to regular COVID-19 testing under a new requirement announced by Governor Ralph Northam today. The order will take effect on September 1st and will apply to more than 120,000 executive branch employees. It comes amid a national surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the delta variant. Most cases involve the unvaccinated. President Joe Biden and a growing number of state and local governments and major employers are taking an increasingly hard line against vaccine holdouts.
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Courtesy Moses Family
The father of a 6-year-old boy battling leukemia knows full well the impact of the Children’s Miracle Network. Tomorrow Star Country 94.9 will do its part to raise money for CMN during it annual “radio-thon.” The story from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Click here tomorrow between 6am and 6pm for an online link
https://www.949starcountry.com/
Or call: 1-866-781-881; or text CKC to 51555
Here’s the link to the GoFundMe page for Orion Moses:
Dr. Cynthia Morrow/VDH-VT photo
More questions today about the vaccine-hesitant during a weekly teleconference for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts. Including, why get the vaccine if reports are surfacing now about those already vaccinated STILL getting COVID-19? Health director Dr. Cynthia Morrow says the latest data on the number of new cases and new hospitalizations also shows that about 20 percent were vaccinated – pointing she says to the impact of the UN-vaccinated on that population.
LewisGale photo
LewisGale Medical Center in Salem says it is the first hospital in Virginia to commercially use a new robotic “broncho-scope” that allows for a clearer vision when trying to reach cancerous lung nodes during a biopsy procedure. The American Lung Association says the survival rate for lung cancer is lower than other forms of the disease in large part because it is hard to detect at an early age. LewisGale Health System market president Lance Jones helped demo the “MONARCH Robotic Bronchoscope” this morning:
Photo: Virginia Tech
Are some media outlets over-hyping the fact that a small number of fully-vaccinated people have had “breakthrough infections” due to the Delta Variant form of COVID-19? Reports surfaced over the weekend that the White House was complaining about breakthrough infection coverage. Dr. Noelle Bissell is director of the New River Health District. The main issue says Bissell – more people need to get the vaccine. Less than 50 percent of those in the New River Health District are fully vaccinated.
(July 30th, 2021) The Delta variant is dominant in Virginia, driving an increase in cases. All areas of Virginia are seeing case growth, with 10 of 35 Health Districts experiencing surges. Model projections indicate that, along current trajectories, cases could exceed last January’s peak.
Evidence is building that the Delta variant causes more severe disease, adding to the threat posed by its increased transmissibility. Vaccines are our best defense against the Delta variant, drastically reducing the risk of infection and severe disease.
With the Delta virus becoming dominant, the model estimates cases will return to growth
through the fall, reaching levels not seen since April in mid-September. Vaccination rates are
still below herd immunity levels and, with many Virginians returning to normal, the virus has
room to run. If the Delta variant continues to spread, cases could peak at 103 average daily
cases per 100,000 in mid September.
To lessen the projected peak, we must give vaccines time to have an impact. If vaccination
rates pick up, the model estimates that over 60,000 cases could be avoided. The Delta variant, first identified in India, is now well established in Virginia. Over 70% of new COVID19 cases in the Commonwealth are of the Delta variant. Models predict this figure will reach 90% by mid-August. The Alpha variant, which was dominant from April to July, has declined and is expected to represent fewer than 10% of cases by mid-August.
The Delta variant is more capable of causing breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals than prior strains. However, confidence in the efficacy of these vaccines remains
high.
Dr. Cynthia Morrow/VDH-VT photo
Its too early to say whether rising COVID rates locally and in Virginia will lead to further mask wearing mandates again for the general public – even for the vaccinated – but a local health system director says “follow the science.” WFIR’s Gene Marrano has that story:
Dr. Cynthia Morrow/VDH-VT photo
The director of the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts says there is currently no “magic number” regarding the rising COVID infection rates that would lead to another Virginia Department of Health mask mandate. Dr. Cynthia Morrow said today she will wait for the “experts” to weigh in – basing any guidance on the most recent information about the Delta variant as it emerges. The local health districts have also hired a new “outreach team” in another effort to reach the vaccine-hesitant.
Ian Price photo
The first medicinal marijuana-only retail outlet in Virginia cut the ribbon in Salem today on West Main Street – although the official opening at “RISE Salem” for those with prescriptions won’t come until early August. Jack Page is Virginia Market Leader for Dharma Pharmaceuticals, which grows and the dispenses cannabis for medical purposes only in this region. He expects more tweaks in the General Assembly next year. Abingdon-based Dharma Pharmaceuticals is authorized to set up several retail satellite outlets in southwest Virginia.