Tag: COVID-19
-
The Revenue Picture is Bad, But Not as Bad as Expected
By Dick Hall-Sizemore The state’s May revenue report has been released today. As one would have expected, the May 2020 general fund (GF) revenues were down significantly from May 2019 and the year-to-date GF revenues are running behind the annual forecast. However, on the somewhat bright side, the administration is now saying that it expects…
-
State Supreme Court Backs Northam Decree Denying Landlords Access to Courts
by James C. Sherlock This essay is a follow-up based upon a June 7 letter from Governor Northam to the Virginia Supreme Court to which I just gained access. That letter makes the situation much worse. The Order On June 8 the Virginia Supreme Court issued IN RE: FIFTH ORDER MODIFYING AND EXTENDING DECLARATION OF…
-
EVMS Doc Saves Lives with New COVID-19 Treatment Protocol
by James A. Bacon Paul Marik, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), is part of a group, the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium, which says that application of a new therapeutic protocol can dramatically reduce mortality rates of the coronavirus. In a paper outlining the EVMS’…
-
Lawyers, Start Your Engines
by Kerry Dougherty It’s about time. Ever since 15-days-to-slow-the-spread in March, some of us have wondered when the lawsuits would start flying. At what point would the legal community try to stop the governor of Virginia from abusing the vast emergency powers that he grabbed three months ago and shows no signs of relinquishing? How…
-
Loophole Allows Nursing Homes to Cover Up COVID-19 History
by Carol J. Bova The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) published an interim final rule with comment period (IFC) on May 8 that provided more flexibility for health care providers “to respond effectively to the serious health threats posed by the spread of COVID-19.” The rule amended Medicare policies on an interim basis to…
-
How the New Pool Rules Are Working Out
by James A. Bacon The latest iteration of Wise King Ralph’s emergency COVID-19 decrees, provides for the possibility of reopening pools and fitness facilities in Virginia. However, the new diktat comes with many conditions attached. Either pools and fitness facilities comply with all the rules, or they stay must closed. The homeowners association of the…
-
The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear (of COVID-19) Itself
by James A. Bacon The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) publish a wide variety of data about COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all the numbers, yet the data is woefully incomplete. Perhaps the greatest deficiency is that we have no ability…
-
Medical Doctors and Spin Doctors
by Kerry Dougherty Someone find me a lawyer. I think I have whiplash. Not sure you can sue the World Health Organization, though, for acting more like political spin doctors than medical ones. Perhaps you heard. On Monday, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit and…
-
Why Do 58 Nursing Homes Lack PPE?
by Carol J. Bova The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) publishes COVID-19 data reported by nursing homes as of May 31. Only five Virginia facilities reported not having enough essential supplies for current use, but that still put the safety of 554 residents plus an unknown number of staff members at risk for COVID-19…
-
COVID-19 Update: Good News, the Virus is Less Deadly
by James A. Bacon The COVID-19 data is looking great. Time to partaaaay! Just kidding, boys and girls, we do not need another Ozark pool-party moment. You still need to wear your masks and keep your social distance. But the evidence does suggest that Virginia can quickly wind down many of the remaining restrictions on…
-
Rule by Decree has Found a Co-conspirator – Virginia’s Chief Justice
by James C. Sherlock One of the most clearly illegal court orders in Virginia history was issued on Monday, June 7. At the request of the Governor, the order suspended the rights of some plaintiffs to access the courts. The order also refers to the fact that the Governor is planning to institute a “comprehensive…
-
Did Protesters Spread the Virus? Too Early to Tell
by James A. Bacon I have read some speculation that Virginia might see an uptick in COVID-19 cases following the mass protests in defiance of limits on gatherings. Given the delays between the infection of a person, the time at which he or she shows symptoms, and the time he or she is tested and…
-
Kids Need to Be in Class This Fall
by Kerry Dougherty Ever since the Covid-19 hysteria began in March, Virginians have learned to dread their governor’s press conferences. With good reason. One week it’s no sitting on the beach. Next it’s no loud music. Then, a mask mandate. Who knows what the governor has in store for us this week. He’s expected to…
-
COVID-19 No Justification for Mail-In Voting
by Brian Glass With the COVID-19 epidemic, adherents of mail-in voting in Virginia and around the country believe they have found the “hook” to pass their favored legislation. That idea needs to be revisited before the primary elections in June and the presidential election in November. Regardless of the epidemic, voting by mail is still…
-
Who Will Pay for Increased Nursing Home Testing?
by James A. Bacon The The Virginia Mercury has published a well-reported article today about the challenges of addressing the spread of COVID-19 in Virginia nursing homes, which account for 57% of all COVID deaths in the state. The Virginia Department of Health is gearing up for a massive expansion of testing at the nursing…