Health and Medicine
NEWS RELEASE: Valley Metro will be extending suspension of fare collections on all Valley Metro transit services until Friday, May 15. During this period of fare free transit service due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, passengers are asked to adhere to the following:
- If you are sick, avoid public transportation.
- Transit passengers are encouraged to limit interaction with the bus operator and travel for essential trips only.
- Passenger capacity is limited to nine passengers per bus.
- Use the front door for entry/use the rear doors for exit.
- Signage has been placed on all buses to encourage social distancing and behaviors as prescribed by the CDC.
- Extended rides on one transit route will not be permitted.
- Valley Metro staff will be closely monitoring each transit bus in order to maintain a safe environment.
- All Valley Metro vehicles are ADA accessible.
If you have questions, please contact Valley Metro offices at 540-982-2222.
Health officials, celebrities, and leaders of varying degrees have been sharing tricks to make COVID-19 precautions easier to execute. WFIR’s Ian Price reports that Roanoke’s Vice Mayor has offered up some tips of his own:
For more details on making a face mask click HERE
South Roanoke Nursing Home reports ten residents who tested COVID-19 positive have died in recent days — but the Virginia Department of Health reports no COVID-19 deaths at all in Roanoke City. Health officials say attending physicians must list a primary cause of death on certificates, and those are often heart or lung-related among nursing home patients. We do not know whether these specific certificates indicate patients died from COVID-19 or list it as a contributing factor. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Congressman Morgan Griffith says the United States must work to assure that more production of prescription drugs taken in the the U.S. occurs in this country. One thing many of us have learned in the last two months is that the U.S. relies heavily on China and India for the supply of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
RICHMOND, Va, (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he anticipates nonessential businesses in the state reopening on May 15, saying more time is still needed to help contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Northam announced Monday that he is extending by another week an executive order mandating that some nonessential businesses close and banning large gatherings.
“The message today is that we will reopen Virginia next Friday,” May 15, Northam said.
The governor said while the state has made improvements in flattening the curve, or slowing the rate of new infections, Virginia needs to ensure positive trends continue related to testing, hospital capacity and the supply of medical equipment.
“I want to make it very clear: This virus is still here,” Northam said. “We must not relax our vigilance.”
His executive order, which forces the closure of some businesses and severely restricts how others operate, was set to expire this Friday. His order also bans gatherings of 10 or more in public or private.
“The governor’s decision to use a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is going to negatively impact certain parts of Virginia worse than others,” Republican House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert said in a statement.
Nicole Riley, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business in Virginia, said many small businesses wanted to reopen this week.
“Small-business owners are telling us they think a gradual reopening should start very soon, and most believe they can handle health and safety requirements,” she said.
Northam said that when nonessential businesses do reopen, there will be noticeable changes. Restaurants will seat customers farther apart and employees will wear face masks. Gyms will open, but with fewer people than normal. The governor said the state will issue new guidelines for specific industries in coming days.
The governor said he anticipates a three-phased reopening, with restrictions on how businesses, churches and other public spaces ease into each phase. He said he anticipates each phase to last about three weeks.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and be life-threatening.
A week-long event that was scheduled before COVID-19 and its far-ranging impacts became evident couldn’t be more timely – this is Virginia’s first annual “Resilience Week,” as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
access Resilience Week website here: www.roanokepreventionalliance.org/resiliency/
NEWS RELEASE: As the statewide ban on non-essential procedures and operations lifts, Carilion is implementing plans to gradually resume non-essential surgical and procedural services.
“Ramping up services is a complex process,” said Michael Nussbaum, M.D., senior vice president and chair of the Department of Surgery. “While we look forward to welcoming patients back and rescheduling procedures that were postponed, we know this is a long-term process that must be done in a safe and smart way.”
While non-essential procedures were paused, Carilion’s operating rooms system-wide were running at 25 to 30 percent of normal capacity. Carilion plans to gradually increase operating room volumes to 50 percent in the coming weeks and, in the coming months, return to full capacity.
“COVID-19 will continue to exist in our community for some time to come,” said Nussbaum, who is also leading the team responsible for restoring services. “Because of that, we’re working through the processes required to keep our patients, staff and community safe while still making sure they have access to their needed surgical care.”
Carilion is now resuming operations and procedures because personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing is more widely available. Physician and administrative leaders have established a daily meeting to assess the status of the pandemic in the region and determine to what degree the health system’s approach, processes and policies need to be adjusted.
As operations resume, strict precautions introduced during the pandemic will remain. Screenings, visitor restrictions, social distancing and masking for visitors and patients will continue to be in place for the foreseeable future.
Every patient who is scheduled for an operation or procedure will be carefully evaluated using objective criteria that assess their risk and readiness. Once scheduled, patients will be asked to isolate for five days prior to being tested for COVID-19. Upon receiving a negative test, patients will undergo their procedure.
Providers are currently working to evaluate patients whose elective procedures were postponed and will contact patients to reschedule them. Patients do not need to contact providers to reschedule cancelled appointments.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he’ll present new guidelines next week for the state’s eventual reopening, adding progress has been made in boosting testing and obtaining medical supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Northam said at a news conference Friday that he plans to outline the state’s next steps towards reopening its economy on Monday.
“Everyone wants to know what comes next,” Northam said. “We have slowed the spread but we are not out of the woods yet. We must continue to move forward carefully.”
The governor has issued executive orders shutting down activity in the state to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. That includes an order closing some nonessential businesses through May 8. Northam declined to say whether he will extend that order.
The square surrounding the state Capitol was briefly closed Friday afternoon after a small group of armed people gathered at the foot of the Capitol stairs protesting the virus-related shutdowns. The approximately 20 “belligerent” protesters eventually dispersed, said Capitol Police spokesman Joe Macenka. There were no arrests.
Northam recently lifted a ban on non-elective surgeries and said Friday that his executive orders have been less restrictive than what some other states have issued.
Republicans also have complained that the state lags behind other states in testing. Northam said Virginia has made “tremendous progress” in boosting the number of tests for the virus that are being conducted each day and that the state is now well positioned to test anyone who thinks they may have the virus.
The governor said the state’s National Guard is also available to help run testing at nursing homes in which everyone at a facility is tested on the same day.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and be life-threatening.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — More than a half million Virginians have filed unemployment claims since the coronavirus outbreak hit the state last month, according to new federal data released Thursday. Thursday’s report from the U.S. Department of Labor showed more than 74,000 Virginians filed unemployment claims last week. That marks the third straight week totals have dipped since weekly claims reached a record-setting nearly 150,000 in the week ending April 4.
Altogether, in the six weeks since March 15 for which data is available, about 570,000 people have filed for jobless benefits in Virginia. That’s about 13% of the 4.46 million people the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates make up the state’s workforce.
Nationally, more than 3.8 million workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. economy slid further into a crisis that is becoming the most devastating since the 1930s. Roughly 30.3 million people have now filed for jobless aid over the past six weeks, more than one in six American workers.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive order in late March that was later extended closing recreation, entertainment, and personal care businesses and limiting restaurants to offering only takeout and delivery services in order to help slow the spread of the virus.
Northam said Wednesday that he’s continuing to look at data on testing, hospitalization and other information before deciding whether to extend that order past May 8, when it is set to expire. He reiterated that he’s is open to the idea of opening businesses on a regional basis.
“We’re going to do it as soon as we can, as soon as it can be safely,” Northam said.
An executive order directing Virginians to stay home unless they must leave for essential services, remains in effect until June 10.
The Virginia Department of Health reported over 15,800 cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday, and the death toll stood at 552. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
NEWS RELEASE: Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell has extended the closure of City of Roanoke municipal facilities to the general public until June 10, in alignment with Governor Northam’s Temporary Stay-At-Home Order (Executive Order 55), due to the novel coronavirus. Unless the Governor rescinds the Executive Order before the June 10 date, the City will enforce its revised extension.
The Temporary Stay-At-Home Order followed the Governor’s declaration under Executive Order on March 12 that a State of Emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Virginia due to the potential spread of COVID-19. In response to that Executive Order, the City of Roanoke and neighboring localities took the precautionary measure of declaring a local emergency on March 16.
City administration continues to develop plans for the safe, phased reopening of municipal facilities once the Order is lifted, to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for City services and the community. While offices are closed to the public, the City of Roanoke is providing modified services to citizens, in an effort to protect the health and safety of both staff and citizens. Use this link to learn about those modifications.