Health and Medicine
As we approach the holiday season, it is sometimes difficult to remember how much has changed in the last nine months. In Virginia, it began with a State of Emergency that Governor Northam declared on March 12th – and that was just the beginning. WFIR’s Evan Jones takes us through some key points of the year as he reports In Depth:
The reimagined Salem Christmas Parade, which is traditionally held on Main Street and sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Salem, was supposed to take place at the Salem Civic Center parking lot this Friday night in a safe and socially distant manner. Unfortunately, the ominous forecast of a cold and persistent rain on Friday night has forced the parade’s cancellation.
“The members of the Kiwanis Club and city workers from a number of departments have worked tirelessly to create this alternative parade and keep folks safe,” says Jim Paxton, Salem Kiwanis Club President-elect and Parade Committee Head. “The one thing we cannot control is the weather, so we made a unified decision to cancel it in the best interest of the participants and attendees. The Kiwanis Club appreciates everyone who tried his or her best to make this a success.”
While the parade will not be rescheduled, Salem’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting has been moved from Friday night at 6 p.m. to Saturday, December 5, at 5 p.m. at the Salem Farmers Market. This event will be shown on Facebook LIVE Saturday evening, as well.
“We hate that the parade had to be cancelled, but Salem still has many great holiday events lined up in the coming weeks,” says John Shaner, Salem Parks and Recreation Director. “We hope families will take time to enjoy these in a safe manner and appreciate what we have to offer.”
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine received 6,374 applications, a 48 percent increase from last year’s total of 4,299. The school’s application deadline for the Class of 2025, which has 49 available seats, was Dec. 1. “More and more people are discovering the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and recognizing it as a place to become systems-minded scientist physicians,” said Lee Learman, dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. “In addition, our continued success in matching all of our graduates to top-choice residency programs is attractive to prospective students.”
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine has been in demand since the first class started their studies in 2010, but has become more competitive each year. Over the past five years, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine averaged around 4,000 applications for less than 50 available positions.
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A local organization devoted to the fight in against breast cancer in southwest Virginia has chosen to disband – rather than have the funds it raises sent out of the region. The Susan G. Komen Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate is officially disbanded as of today, but not without first meeting its promise one last time by distributing a half-million dollars on hand to health care and breast cancer research efforts in southwest Virginia. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Governor Northam says Virginians need to work together to combat and overcome COVID-19 – and not battle each other. It follows action this week in Campbell County, near Lynchburg, where the board of supervisors passed what members call a “First Amendment Sanctuary Resolution.” It states the governor’s COVID-related executive orders violate citizen’s constitutional rights. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Governor Northam says will take a close look at COVID-19 numbers in Virginia in coming days to see if there is any surge in new cases created over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend — and whether to order tighter statewide restrictions. For now, the governor says he will continue the restrictions he ordered almost three weeks ago; they include limiting all gatherings to no more than 25, shutting off restaurant alcohol sales at 10:00 pm and closing restaurants at midnight. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more;
Northam says Virginia has a lower rate of new cases than 45 other states, but he says the current caseload numbers continue to increase, and 15,000 people are currently hospitalized for treatment of the virus in Virginia hospitals.
The governor says workplaces and schools are collectively doing a good job of adhering to health safety guidelines, but most of the new cases are being acquired at churches and small gatherings.
Northam says the state expects to receive its first 70,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine shortly after federal approval is granted, perhaps by mid-December, and the first doses will be administered to health care workers and residents of long-term health care facilities.
The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Roanoke, Lynchburg and Southside-based health systems has increased almost 20% in the last week — and 50% in the last four weeks. Carilion, the Salem V-A Medical Center, Centra and Sovah (SO-vuh) collectively report a 25% increase in the number of patients on ventilators in the last seven days.
December 2: Here are updated numbers for the Near Southwest Region (which includes Carilion, Centra, LewisGale, Sovah, and VA facilities) as of today:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 280
- ICU patients: 61
- Ventilator patients: 30
Hospitalized PUIs (patients under investigation awaiting results): 27
November 25:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 234
- ICU patients: 49
- Ventilator patients: 24
Hospitalized PUIs: 29
November 4:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 186
- ICU patients: 40
- Ventilator patients: 22
Hospitalized PUIs: 46
The March of Dimes gives Virginia a grade of “C” when it comes to maternal and infant health. The organization notes recent changes in the state do provide more health coverage, but it says more still needs to be done. The March of Dimes graded each state on the percentage of births that are pre-term; in Virginia last year, it was 9.9% . More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Click here for the full March of Dimes Virginia report card.