Health and Medicine
The Virginia Department of Health continues to encourage the use of face masks in indoor public places. The VDH says while that is not longer required in most settings, masks remain an important way to protect yourself and others, especially with the ability of the “Delta variant” to spread more easily than previous coronaviruses.
NEWS RELEASE: (Richmond, Va.) — The Virginia Department of Health reminds Virginians that while vaccination is the best defense against COVID-19, masks are also an important tool to protect yourself and others.
Public health officials encourage Virginians to continue to wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and allowed by state law. There is no legal barrier to wearing masks to protect oneself and others from the virus, nor should anyone be penalized for doing so. While the law prohibits wearing a mask for the purpose of concealing one’s identity, it does not prohibit wearing a mask for the purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19. This is true even now that Virginia is no longer under a statewide declaration of emergency.
COVID-19 spreads more easily indoors than outdoors. The CDC recommends wearing a mask in indoor public places for anyone aged 2 or older who is not fully vaccinated, and for anyone with a weakened immune system regardless of vaccination status. Although it is not generally necessary to wear masks outside, people who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks in crowded settings, particularly in areas with high numbers of cases.
Masks must be worn by persons aged 5 or older while indoors at a public or private K-12 school, pursuant to an Order of Public Health Emergency issued by the State Health Commissioner and in effect from July 1 through July 25, 2021. Federal law requires masks on planes, buses (including school buses), trains, and other forms of public transportation. Even when not required, people who are fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks whenever they would be more comfortable doing so.
Businesses are generally free to adopt their own mask requirements. Employees of some workplaces may still be required by state regulations to wear masks, even if fully vaccinated. For more information, employers should refer to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s Standard and Frequently Asked Questions.
Masks may be especially important now that recent cases of the “Delta variant” (B.1.617.2) have been identified in Virginia. This variant can spread more easily and might cause more severe illness than others. Although current COVID-19 vaccines appear to be effective against the Delta variant, additional mitigation measures (such as wearing masks, keeping distance from others, washing hands frequently, and cleaning surfaces) help lower risk even more.
Federal regulators recently approved a drug for treatment of Alzheimer’s and its debilitating effects on the brain, but experts say in many cases, middle-aged men and women can take steps to reduce the chances of dealing with it later in life. Dr. James Carney is UnitedHealthcare’s Chief Medical Officer for Medicare and Retirement in several states that include Virginia. He says choosing a healthy lifestyle now – diet, exercise, moderation in alcohol and no smoking at all – are known to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s later on. More than 6 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s; in Virginia, the number is about 150,000, and Carney says that number is expected to grow another 40,000 by 2025. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has extended the nationwide ban on evictions for a month to help tenants who are unable to make rent payments during the coronavirus pandemic, but it said this is expected to be the last time it does so.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, extended the evictions moratorium until July 31. It had been scheduled to end June 30. The CDC said Thursday that “this is intended to be the final extension of the moratorium.”
The White House had acknowledged Wednesday that the emergency pandemic protection will have to end at some point. The trick is devising the right sort of off-ramp to make the transition without massive social upheaval. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the separate bans on evictions for renters and mortgage holders were “always intended to be temporary.
Dr. Cynthia Morrow/VDH-VT photo
Its the home stretch for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts as they attempt to inch closer to the 70 percent target for adults with at least one COVID vaccine shot by the July 4th target date set by the Biden Administration. An update from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Photo: Virginia Tech
The New River Health District may not hit the July 4th target of having 70 percent of adults 18-plus at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 by then – but they will keep “plugging away,” as the health district director puts it. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
The country as a whole may not make President Joe Biden’s vaccination target by July 4th – but the Commonwealth has. Governor Northam’s office announced today 70% of adults 18 years and older in the Commonwealth have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Virginia is the 16th state in the nation to meet this goal, set by President Biden in early May, reaching the key vaccination milestone two weeks ahead of the nationwide July 4th target. To date, over 8.8 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Virginia. More than 4.2 million individuals – or 60% of the population 18 and older – are fully vaccinated.
Claims by Bedford County Sheriff Mike Miller that THC makes marijuana addictive don’t hold water, according to Virginia’s head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws – or NORML. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Beginning July 1, possession of marijuana for recreational use is legal in Virginia – but users cannot purchase it anywhere. They have to grow their own – and only 4 plants per household. The problem says Debbie Custer with The Hemp Mill in Vinton – you can’t buy seeds anywhere legally at this point in Virginia. Custer was live in studio this morning going over some of the guidelines for growing marijuana plants as of July 1 – your neighbors must not be able to see those plants for example. Hear the complete conversation on the link below; watch it on Facebook.