Health and Medicine
The wait is almost over. Two days from now, most of Virginia will begin the process of re-opening many businesses, but state health officials say this is no time to think the COVID-19 threat is over and to let our guard down. They say while it is is a start that many retail businesses, hair and nail salons and restaurants open up again, it is anything but the finish. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Gov. Ralph Northam
Governor Northam says he is working with local officials in northern Virginia to consider different reopening timetables from the rest of the state. But for now, Friday still appears to be our day one of Phase One, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says the state is still on track to begin its gradual reopening this week amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the exception of the population-dense Washington suburbs.
Northam said at a news conference Monday that the state continues to see positive trends in key metrics related to the virus’ spread, hospital readiness and testing capacity. He said the state is almost ready to begin a gradual reopening of nonessential businesses, houses of worship and other places currently closed.
“If our numbers continue to trend in the direction they are … I anticipate that will go into phase one on Friday,” Northam said.
But he added while the same trends are moving in the right direction in northern Virginia, he is still concerned about the region’s elevated number of cases. An example: Northern Virginia reported more than 700 cases in the previous 24 hours, Northam said, while the rest of the state reported less than 300.
The region’s political leaders wrote a letter to Northam on Sunday asking the governor to allow northern Virginia to move at a slower pace in easing restrictions. Northam said he’s happy to work with those leaders and plans to provide more detail about what northern Virginia’s eventual reopening will look like on Wednesday.
The northern Virginia region shares a border with Washington, D.C. and Maryland, whose leaders have not given a specific date for reopening.
Northam’s ordered some businesses closed two months ago and his planned first phase of reopening will retain severe restrictions. Some retail businesses will reopen with limited capacity, but indoor gyms would remain closed, beaches would remain closed to sunbathers and restaurants would still be prohibited from indoor dine-in service.
Northam, a Democrat, has increasingly come under fire from some Republicans for not being more aggressive in reopening the state like governors in some other states.
Pat Herrity, a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and one of the few remaining Republican elected officials in northern Virginia, said he’s disappointed that northern Virginia apparently won’t start the first phase along with the rest of the state.
“The majority of people I hear from want to take a small step back to normal,” said Herrity. “Phase one is a baby step forward, and I think it should be taken.”
VDH is reporting 989 new coronavirus cases bringing the statewide total to 25,070. State health officials say there were 11 more COVID-19 related deaths over a 24-hour span, bringing the statewide death toll to 850. The number of Virginians tested for COVID-19 stands at 167,758.
The Virginia Department of Health reports 885 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, that’s up from the 854 listed as of yesterday by 10am. The state now has 24,081 COVID-19 cases. 12 more people died from complications related to the Coronavirus, down 3 from yesterday and a sharp drop from the 43 reported on Friday. Some good news: for the 7th straight day no hospital in the Commonwealth reported having difficulty in sourcing the Personal Protective Equipment needed to protect their health care workers.
The Virginia Department of Health reports 23,196 cases of coronavirus as of this morning. That’s up from 22,342 reported Friday. 1,110 of Saturday’s cases are listed as “probable.” There are 827 recorded coronavirus-related deaths in the commonwealth, up from 812 reported Friday, and 3,164 people have been hospitalized. 136,039 people have been tested.
Gov. Ralph Northam
NEWS RELEASE: Governor Ralph Northam today outlined a three-phase plan to ease restrictions on businesses and gatherings, when health data supports doing so.
Governor Northam said he will extend key provisions of Executive Order 53, which places restrictions on businesses and gatherings of more than 10 people, at least through next Thursday, May 14, at midnight. The Northam administration will continue to monitor health data to ensure that trends of positive cases are going downward, that hospital capacity remains steady, that testing is increased, and that hospitals and medical facilities have necessary supplies of PPE. For more information on key metrics, please see here.
Phase I of easing restrictions would continue social distancing, teleworking, recommendations that people wear face coverings in public, and the ban on social gatherings of more than 10 people. It would ease some limits on business and faith communities, and would transition the stay at home directive to a “safer at home” guideline, especially for those in vulnerable populations.
It is expected that Phase I would last two to four weeks, as would the two subsequent phases, depending on health metrics.
More than 8,620 Virginians have been tested for COVID-19 in the latest 48-hour cycle. Of those, 1,314 have been listed as confirmed COVID-19 positive or probable for coronavirus. The Virginia Department of Health released the newest numbers this morning after a technical error prevented results from being posted yesterday. There have been 56 COVID-19 attributed deaths over that two-day period. An average of 28 deaths per day in that time.
The number of Virginians hospitalized with COVID-19 has reached a new high — but still remaining within a generally steady range. Hospitals across the state report 1,242 such cases at present, and that is up from 1,178 up from a week earlier. The number of COVID-19 patients under intensive care is virtually unchanged in that period: 371 now, 372 on April 30.
Virginia Tech Today hosts Eddie Amos and Kim Blair
Dr. Michael Friedlander wears several hats – he’s Executive Director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion in Roanoke, and Vice President of Health Services and Technology at Virginia Tech. Several weeks ago he announced that both Tech campuses would start testing patient samples for COVID-19 – now they are developing a test for coronavirus antibodies: