Health and Medicine
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:
One of the most important aspects of the “Meals on Wheels” program just isn’t as possible during the pandemic. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
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Governor Northam says Thanksgiving dinners without some loved ones at the table will be difficult, but he says it is a caring way that will ensure those close to you will be around to celebrate the holidays with you next year. Northam said at today’s briefing that staying in your own home is an important way to stop the recent resurgence of COVID-19. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday urged Virginians to stay home for the Thanksgiving holiday, saying it would be “an act of love” to help keep people safe amid steadily rising coronavirus cases.
If people must get together, Northam said, they should keep gatherings small and celebrate outside.
“Let’s not make this winter any worse than it has to be,” Northam, the nation’s only governor who is also a doctor, said at a news conference.
The Democratic governor’s comments come a few days after he announced substantial new statewide restrictions on gatherings and certain businesses in an effort to slow rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The changes come as the coronavirus is surging across the U.S. at what experts say is an alarming pace. Newly confirmed infections per day in the U.S. are shattering records at nearly every turn.
In Virginia, case counts have been increasing with particular intensity in the state’s southwest, where cases were sparse early in the pandemic.
Some of the state’s largest school systems — Virginia Beach, Henrico County and Fairfax County — have hit the brakes on reopening plans.
Collectively, Virginia is faring better than many other states, with one of the country’s lowest per capita rates of new daily cases. As of Wednesday, Virginia has reported more than 208,000 coronavirus cases and a death toll of nearly 4,000.
Northam also announced he had signed a revised state budget that imposes moratoriums on evictions through the end of the year and puts new limits on evictions starting next year.
A moratorium on utility disconnections also has been extended and requires Dominion Energy — the state’s largest electric utility — to forgive $127 million of customer debt.
Photo: Associated Press
The region’s largest supermarket chain says it is once again setting purchase limits on products like toilet paper, paper towels and disinfecting wipes — two per customer per visit. Kroger says it is in response to a renewed run on such products leaving many shelves at many grocery chains temporarily empty. Food Lion did not immediately respond to our inquiry.
Statement from Allison McGee, Corporate Affairs Manager for Kroger Mid-Atlantic: To ensure all customers have access to what they need, we’ve proactively and temporarily set purchase limits on certain products to two per customer, including bath tissue, paper towels, disinfecting wipes and hand soap. These purchase limits apply in-store as well as to e-commerce orders.
NEW YORK (AP) — Looking for toilet paper? Good luck.
A surge of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. is sending people back to stores to stockpile again, leaving shelves bare and forcing retailers to put limits on purchases.
Walmart said Tuesday it’s having trouble keeping up with demand for cleaning supplies in some stores. Supermarket chains Kroger and Publix are limiting how much toilet paper and paper towels shoppers can buy after demand spiked recently. And Amazon is sold out of most disinfectant wipes and paper towels.
But Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, formerly the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said he doesn’t expect things to be as bad this go-around since lockdowns are being handled on a regional basis and everyone is better prepared.
“A more informed consumer combined with a more informed manufacturer and a more informed retailer should provide all of us with a greater sense of ease and ensure we can meet this growing demand, “ Freeman said.
The biggest supply issue seems to be paper products: 21% of shelves that stock paper towels and toilet paper are empty, the highest level in at least a month, according to market research company IRI. Cleaning supplies have remained level at 16%. Before the pandemic, 5% to 7% of consumer goods were typically out of stock, IRI said.
Contributing to the problem is the fact that roughly 10% of the workforce at manufacturing plants where the products are made are calling out sick, mainly because they’ve been in contact with others who were tested positive to COVID-19, Freeman said.
Kelly Anderson of Colorado Springs, Colorado, said she needs more supplies now that in-person school in her area was canceled earlier this month and her two children are at home more. She’s noticed others are stocking up, too: Safeway and Walmart were nearly wiped out of bottled water and disinfectant wipes during a recent visit, both of which had been easy to find since the summer.
It’s also been harder to find a time slot to get her groceries delivered. Anderson says she’s had to wait as many as two days instead of same-day delivery. But that’s still not as bad as earlier this year
“March seems like a million years ago, but I do remember freaking out,” she said. “I couldn’t get groceries delivered for a week.”
Walmart said while supplies are stressed in some areas, it thinks it will be able to handle any stockpiling now than earlier this year. Amazon said its working with manufacturers to get items such as disinfecting wipes, paper towels and hand sanitizer in stock.
The number of COVID-related hospitalizations in the region is now the highest we have seen this year. We know because the health systems based in the Roanoke, Lynchburg and Southside areas are now collectively gathering and sharing those numbers. The concern now is what happens if the virus’ recent spread is not contained in coming weeks. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:
The health systems in what is termed the “Near Southwest Region” have been gathering these numbers for three weeks, and as of tomorrow, November 18, they plan to publicly share them on a weekly basis.
As of Wednesday, Nov 11:
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients: 203
ICU patients: 38
Ventilator patients: 18
Hospitalized PUIs (patients under investigation awaiting results): 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
These are totals for hospitalizations within the Near Southwest Region and not specific VDH health districts.
The health systems reporting these numbers are Carilion, LewisGale, Salem VA Medical Center, Centra and Sovah.
General Assembly Republican leaders say Governor Northam acted too hastily when he issued new statewide COVID-19 restrictions Friday — and they go beyond what is needed to keep the Virginia case numbers in check. Those rules include a halt to alcohol sales in restaurants at 10:00 pm, restaurants most close by midnight and all public and private gatherings are now limited to 25 people. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
New statewide restrictions are in effect as of today in efforts to slow rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Governor Northam says it is important that Virginia gest ahead of the curve now, as WFIR’s Evan Jones, reports:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday announced substantial new statewide restrictions on gatherings and certain businesses in an effort to slow rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The state’s cap on gatherings will be reduced from 250 people to 25, the state’s mask requirement will be applied to younger children, the number of spectators allowed at athletic events will be reduced, and alcohol sales will be prohibited at dining and drinking establishments after 10 p.m., the Democratic governor’s office said in a news release. Those and other new restrictions will take effect Sunday at midnight.
“COVID-19 is surging across the country, and while cases are not rising in Virginia as rapidly as in some other states, I do not intend to wait until they are. We are acting now to prevent this health crisis from getting worse,” Northam, who is a physician, said in the release.
The gathering ban will apply to events such as weddings, but won’t impact schools or restaurant capacity, said Northam’s spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky. Restaurants were already subject to capacity limits due to requirements that patrons remain socially distanced.
Under the new rules, all restaurants, breweries, wineries and other such establishments must close by midnight, and the on-site sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited after 10 p.m. Virginia code does not distinguish between restaurants and bars.
Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association, said the alcohol curfew would be tough on many restaurants
“These last-minute changes and notices are just devastating the industry,” he said.
The measures announced Friday will also strengthen the state’s ability to enforce compliance with measures such as mask-wearing and distancing in grocery stores, big-box retailers and other businesses deemed “essential.” Previously, those types of businesses were exempt from health department enforcement.
Nicole Riley, the Virginia state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said essential retail stores have been doing all they can to follow the rules.
“We hope that the threat of criminal charges will be handled in a judicious way by authorities so that those who have acted in good faith aren’t unfairly penalized,” she said in a statement.
The mask requirement, which previously applied only to children 10 and older, now applies to children 5 and older, the governor’s release said.
The changes will also impact athletics.
Recreational, youth and high school sports will be limited to 25 spectators per field or 30% of venue’s occupancy load, whichever is smaller, Yarmosky said. The limit does not include participants.
College athletics, where the limits apply to both participants and spectators, will be limited to 250 people or 30% of the venue’s occupancy load, whichever is smaller, she said. College sports venues previously were allowed to have 1,000 people.
The new rules say religious services can surpass 25 people if a lengthy list of public health measures are followed, including cleaning and distancing.
The changes come as the coronavirus is surging across the U.S. at what experts say is an alarming pace. Newly confirmed infections per day in the U.S. are shattering records at nearly every turn, hitting more than 153,000 on Thursday and pushing the running total in the U.S. to about 10.5 million, with about a quarter-million deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Some school districts around the country are moving to halt in-person instruction, and other governors have tightened restrictions on gatherings and businesses.
Collectively, Virginia is faring better than many other states. There were 233 new cases per 100,000 people in Virginia over the past two weeks, which ranks 43rd in the country for new cases per capita, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the COVID Tracking Project.
But over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by just over 392, an increase of 34%, according to AP’s analysis. One in every 787 people in Virginia tested positive in the past week.
Virginia has reported a total of more than 199,000 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and more than 3,700 confirmed and probable deaths. Those numbers could be higher due to unreported cases.
Northam ordered most non-essential businesses to close and issued a statewide stay-at-home order in March. He began easing statewide restrictions in May.
“Everyone is tired of this pandemic and restrictions on our lives,” Northam said Friday. “I’m tired, and I know you are tired, too. But as we saw earlier this year, these mitigation measures work.”