Tag: COVID-19
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A Little Hope Goes a Long Way
by Carol J. Bova The University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute’s COVID-19 Model Weekly Update for August 28 shows the R-naught reproduction rate was below 1.0 as of August 15 in every health region but the Northern one, and that number was barely over 1 at 1.018. A rate below 1.0 suggests that the viral spread…
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Don’t Mess with Mama Bears
by Chris Braunlich As a local School Board member many years ago, I learned the truism, “Never stand between a Mama Bear and her cub.” Education systems across the country are now learning it in real time. With most Virginia schools shut down for in-school learning, parents are trying desperately to find resources to supplement…
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We’ve Been Good, Governor. Ease Up on Virginia Beach.
by Kerry Dougherty Twenty eight days. That’s how long cities in Tidewater were able to enjoy the freedoms granted to us by our munificent governor when he graciously allowed us to move from COVID Phase 2 to Phase 3 on July 1. By July 28th Gov. Ralph Northam yanked some – but not all – of those…
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Hey, Commish, Not So Fast on the COVID Vaccine
by Kerry Dougherty Well, he did it again. Virginia’s Commissioner of Misinformation, er Health, shot off his mouth and alarmed the public, and then state government factotums had to do damage control. On Friday, WRIC ABC News reported that Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver “plans to mandate coronavirus vaccinations for Virginians once one is…
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Bringing Analytical Clarity to the COVID Shutdown Debate
by James A. Bacon While we’re on the subject of lazy, undisciplined thinking about COVID-19 vaccine mandates (see previous post), let’s address the topic of lazy, undisciplined thinking about economic shutdowns. The Wall Street Journal‘s Greg Ip brings some refreshing analytical clarity to the debate. Ip addresses public policy responses to the COVID contagion around…
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It’s Way too Early to Discuss a Vaccine Mandate
by James A. Bacon Four days ago State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver said he planned to mandate a COVID-19 immunization once it’s safely released to the public. Yesterday Governor Ralph Northam said he’s not planning a mandate, despite what his top health official said. When asked why the the Governor wasn’t embracing the stance…
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Put Your Mask Where Your Mouth Is
There’s a running debate over who is more responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in the United States: MAGA Country individualists refusing to wear masks as a silent political protest… or social justice collectivists refusing to wear masks while engaging in loud political protest. Here’s a data point to contribute to that discussion… FXBG Free,…
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UVa Grad Students Want to Unionize
by James A. Bacon A group of University of Virginia employees comprised mainly of graduate students want to form a union, reports the Daily Progress. If successful, the workers would be affiliated with the Campus Workers of America. UVa last year committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, so economic issues don’t…
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Hey, College Kids, Take a Gap Year
by Kerry Dougherty I’m delighted to no longer be part of the parental tuition-check-writing cohort. Because if I were, I’d have to tell my kids that my checkbook was closed. Take a year off, I’d tell them. A “gap year.” That way they could escape the dystopian nightmare that colleges and universities have become as…
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Nursing Home PPE Shortages and Deaths Still Rising
by Carol J. Bova After a review of over 15,000 nursing home reports submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Brian E. McGarry, David C. Grabowski, and Michael L. Barnett published a paper in Health Affairs on August 20th. In “Severe Staffing and Personal Protective Equipment Shortages Faced by Nursing Homes During the…
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Lacking the Courage of Supermarket Clerks, Virginia’s Delegates Flee for Home
by Kerry Dougherty It’s official. Virginia’s supermarket clerks, hair stylists and nail techs have more courage than the elected members of the House of Delegates Hours after arriving in Richmond to gather in a socially distanced manner in the VCU Siegel Center gym, the nervous Democratic majority decided that it was too dangerous to meet…
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Northam Asks Legislators: Resist Urge to Spend
By Steve Haner Perhaps the most important point about Governor Ralph Northam’s latest Virginia state budget proposal is what he did not recommend. He did not recommend dipping into the state’s current cash reserves to restore spending items which had been frozen. No additional taxes are proposed. In fact, Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne told…
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Shhh. COVID Deaths Drop. Keep It Quiet.
Isn’t this always the way? Just as the Virginia General Assembly arrives in Richmond to save us from COVID-19, Virginia’s number are getting way better.The 7-day average for deaths in the Northern Virginia region tracked by the Virginia Department of Health is zero. Zero. It has recorded zero deaths in August so far. The statewide…
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Masks Outdoors? That’s a Hard NO.
by Kerry Dougherty Every writer has a favorite place to sit and create. Mine is my screened porch. Most days I grab my laptop and coffee to head outside for most of the day. I’m there now, in fact, enjoying a drizzly, warm and quiet Sunday afternoon. There are no high-spirited beachgoers walking by with…
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Uncertainty Shrouds College Move-in Day this Year
Against the backdrop of a stubbornly persistent COVID-19 epidemic, college kids are heading back to campus. Virginia’s colleges and universities soon will find out if all the students who paid deposits do, in fact, plan to attend this fall. Preliminary evidence suggests that enrollment numbers will not decline dramatically, although epidemic-control measures will significantly reduce…