Health and Medicine
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.
UPDATED November 25: The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment in our region has reached another high. Health care systems based in Roanoke, Lynchburg and Southside collectively report 234 patients under COVID care as of today. 50 of that number are under intensive care and 24 are on ventilators.
NEWS RELEASE: Here are numbers for the Near Southwest Region (which includes Carilion, Centra, LewisGale, Sovah, and VA facilities) as of today:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 234
ICU patients: 49
Ventilator patients: 24
Hospitalized PUIs (patients under investigation awaiting results): 29
PREVIOUS – November 18: The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment in our region has reached its highest point of the year. Health systems based in Roanoke, Lynchburg and Southside Virginia collectively report 208 patients hospitalized right now with COVID-19. 36 of that number are under intensive care, and 22 are on ventilators. In addition, 26 other hospitalized patients are “under investigation awaiting results”.
The health systems now reporting these numbers each Wednesday are Carilion, LewisGale, Salem VA Medical Center, Lynchburg-based Centra and Southside-based Sovah. Their coverage area also includes parts of the New River Valley and Alleghany Highlands. They are collectively referring to their area as “Near Southwest”, and these numbers are separate and apart from designated Virginia Department of Health districts and regions.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 18:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 208
- ICU patients: 36
- Ventilator patients: 22
Hospitalized PUIs (patients under investigation awaiting results): 26
As of Wednesday, Nov. 11:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 203
- ICU patients: 38
- Ventilator patients: 18
Hospitalized PUIs: 35
As of Wednesday, Nov. 4:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 186
- ICU patients: 40
- Ventilator patients: 22
Hospitalized PUIs: 32
As of Wednesday, Oct. 28:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 200
– ICU patients: 50
– Ventilator patients: 27
Hospitalized PUIs: 46
Dr Paul Skolnik – Carilion Clinic
The Virginia Department of Health has awarded Carilion Clinic $566,000 in CARES Act funding to help gain a better understanding of just how many people in southwest Virginia have had a brush with COVID-19. Dr. Paul Skolnik is the Chair of Medicine for Carilion, which is sending out a call for 5200 volunteers, who must agree to have a blood sample taken after completing a questionnaire. The study will measure the antibodies present in 22 localities in the Carilion service region, and will look for trends like workplaces that might be hot spots. (See a link on Carilion Facebook page.)
L-R: Kristen Staples, Phil Johnson, Ken Jones/G Marrano photos
We told you several months ago about Hope to Walk – a Blacksburg-based non-profit that makes low-cost, low-tech prosthetic legs and donates them free to third-world amputees who couldn’t afford them otherwise. Now Hope to Walk looks to raise awareness – and funds for their mission – with the “Grateful Live” virtual concert next Tuesday. WFIR’s Gene Marrano has more, “In Depth.”
Dr. Cynthia Morrow-VT photo
Dr. Cynthia Morrow is director for the Virginia Department of Health’s Roanoke City and Alleghany Health District. She joined us live this morning to talk about the coming COVID-19 vaccine rollout – and about staying safe during the upcoming holiday season. Hear the complete conversation below:
The federal government is distributing more than 2.5 million antigen tests to Virginia that the Northam administration is authorized to distribute at its discretion. A Carilion infection expert says while these tests can be very helpful, they are not foolproof. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones: