Health and Medicine
The Virginia Department of Health has opened up a phone line that most Roanoke Valley residents eligible for Phase 1a or 1b COVID-19 vaccinations can call to schedule a vaccine appointment. It means anyone over 65 — or anyone 18-64 with an underlying medical condition — no longer needs to wait to be contacted to schedule a vaccination. The health districts involved in the announcement cover Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem, Vinton, Botetourt County, Craig County, Alleghany County, Clifton Forge and Covington.
NEWS RELEASE: Starting today (March 31), ALL Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts Phase 1a and 1b eligible ages 18+ can skip the wait for an email or phone call to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. If you are over 65 or between the ages of 18-64 with at least one qualifying underlying medical condition, you can call a dedicated line (540-613-6597) starting today between 9am-4pm to schedule an appointment directly. Eligible residents can schedule appointments for openings THIS WEEK.
State health officials say providing COVID-19 vaccines to homebound Virginians presents logistical challenges that they are working to overcome as soon as possible. The main challenge is making sure that vaccine doses aren’t wasted. They must be quickly administered once a vial is opened, and Virginia Vaccine Coordinator Doctor Danny Avula says there working to meet both that requirement and the vaccination needs of the homebound. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Updated numbers for the Near Southwest Region, which includes Carilion, Centra, LewisGale, Sovah, and the Salem VA medical center as of today: there are 120 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 38 CU patients and 18 ventilator patients. The numbers are similar to a week ago but have declined steadily over the past few months.
Dr Cynthia Morrow-Lt Michael Collens- GM photo
Can a fully-vaccinated person still get COVID-19? Dr. Cynthia Morrow with the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts attempted to answer that today. Morrow said “that is to be expected” in very small numbers – none of the vaccines are 100 percent effective – also noting that COVID-19 is still out there.
Dr Noell Bissell
President Joe Biden threw down another gauntlet today – declaring that 90 percent of all US adults should be eligible for a COVID vaccine shot by April 19. So how is that challenge looking in the NRV? Before the “general population” group for those 16 and older can be reached by April 19 there is Phase 1c- and New River Valley Health District director Dr. Noelle Bissell had this good news today – Phase 1C in the NRV has arrived. But the New River Health District did not get the supply of one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine they had expected this week she adds.
The leader of Virginia’s vaccination program says the state is already looking beyond mass clinics and to a time when COVID vaccines will be primarily delivered like most flu shots — by your health care provider or at pharmacies. The emphasis so far has been on vaccinating as many people as possible as quickly as possible — and that’s why the state’s effort to this point has been directed toward mass clinics. But once just about everyone who wants a shot gets one, that emphasis will shift largely to doctors and nurses you already know, largely to convince the “vaccine-hesitant” to get a shot. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:
Virginia’s vaccination program is taking it to the streets and into churches in efforts to reach many people considered most at risk to COVID-19. State health officials say there are inner city communities in particular with significant populations who cannot easily access the signups, or have a great mistrust of the vaccines, or both. So officials have set up community outreach programs in many of those areas. Black and Latino communities have been among the hardest hit statewide by the pandemic. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
As with just about everything else the pandemic has made it challenging at times to collect enough donated blood. The Red Cross has gotten creative – like current promotions where those who donate blood, plasma or platelets can win thousand-dollar gift cards or a trip to the Indianapolis 500. Hear the complete conversation from our live interview this morning below. Jonathan McNamara(pictured) is a spokesman for the American Red Cross in Virginia.
NEWS RELEASE: (RICHMOND, VA) – The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) today announced the first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.427 and B.1.429 in samples that were collected between December 2020 and February 2021 from Virginia residents. The B.1.427 and B.1.429 variants, which first emerged in California in the summer of 2020, are associated with increased person-to-person transmission of COVID-19. At this time, there is no evidence that infections with these variants cause more severe disease. These two variants were only recently added to CDC’s Variant of Concern list.
The Department of General Services Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) confirmed the cases using next-generation sequencing analysis, which provides a genetic blueprint of the virus that causes COVID-19. With the identification of these new variant cases, Virginia now has identified a total of 14 cases of the B.1.427 variant, nine cases of the B.1.429 variant, 26 cases of the B.1.351 variant (first identified in South Africa) and 127 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant (first identified in the United Kingdom). With the combined state and national surveillance efforts, it is likely that additional cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern will be identified.
Viruses change all the time, and VDH expects to see new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as disease spreads. As our public health officials closely monitor the emergence of these SARS-CoV-2 variants in our Commonwealth, it is critical that all Virginians comply now with mitigation measures. Public health recommendations for stopping the spread of COVID-19 will work for all COVID-19 variants. This means wearing masks correctly, staying at least six feet from others, avoiding crowds, washing hands often, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 when it is your turn, and staying home if you are infected with COVID-19 or if you have had close contact with someone with COVID-19.
For more information about COVID-19 variants, visit the VDH Variants website and the CDC COVID-19 Variants website.
Dr Cynthia Morrow-Lt Michael Collens- GM photo
About 30 members of the Virginia Army National Guard are at the Berglund Center today, focused on the logistics of getting people in and out of the mass COVID vaccination clinic going on there, while the Virginia Department of Health puts shots in arms. Dr. Cynthia Morrow with the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts also noted that Medical Reserve Corps volunteers were on hand to help out as well. There’s another mass clinic at the Berglund Center tomorrow. The Virginia Army National Guard has been helping out in the local district with testing and vaccinations since January.