Tag: COVID-19
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COVID19 Testing: Tennessee Versus Virginia
Much has been written about the paucity of COVID-19 testing in Virginia. One place where the shortfall is most evident is in Bristol, a city bifurcated by the Virginia-Tennessee state line. On the Tennessee side of the border, anyone who wants a COVID-19 test can get one, reports the Roanoke Times. On the Virginia side,…
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Virginia Hospitals Have Capacity to Spare. Time to Rethink Elective-Surgery Restrictions.
Virginia is “pivoting away” from setting up field hospitals to handle the hospital overflow of COVID-19 patients, Danny Avula, director of the City of Richmond and Henrico County health departments, said in a Friday press conference. Although sites had been selected in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads, Avula said he saw less need to…
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COVID-19 Update: Hospitalizations, Deaths Still Rising
For what it’s worth, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported by the Virginia Department of Health this morning was 453, about the same level as it was two weeks ago. The official total now stands at 8,990. But with scarcity of testing supplies and delays in reporting, that figure isn’t worth much. As much…
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Stop Gap Budget Amendments
By Dick Hall-Sizemore Not surprisingly, the Governor did not try to re-write the budget in the reconvened session. There is just not enough information available now regarding the extent to which state revenues will be affected by the economic downturn brought on by the novel coronavirus. Using the process set out in the Appropriation Act…
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COVID-19 Update: Hospitalizations Way Up
Another day, another increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations. The Virginia Department of Health data indicated that 126 patients were hospitalized yesterday — a one-day record in the Old Dominion — bringing total hospitalizations to 1,422. According to Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA), there are now 820 patients in hospitals confirmed to have COVID-19, while another…
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Wyoming Is Not New York. Why Should their Social Distancing Measures Be the Same?
As the nation starts to roll back the social distancing measures that have dampened the spread of the COVID-19 virus, it is useful to remember that the United States is a big, diverse country, and measures that make sense in one place might not be suitable for another. This table, supplied by reader James Young,…
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Canterbury Needs a Federal Audit
by James C. Sherlock The patient population of the Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, site of nearly 50 COVID-19 deaths, consists primarily of Medicaid recipients. The facility recently changed ownership and was previously known as Lexington Court Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Rating System A nursing home is a place for…
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Unexpected Bonus: No Flu
by James A. Bacon The verdict is still out on how well Virginia’s social-distancing measures are working to contain the COVID-19 virus, but it’s sure working against the flu. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) tracks the spread of influenza in order to “provide situational awareness, inform prevention strategies, and prepare for a potential pandemic.”…
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Uh, Oh…
by Dean Wortmier Because the panacea bonfire of the “New Abbott Labs Test” is being stoked, I have been forced to revive some brain cells that have been comfortably soaking up rum for the past 8 years. How much help is testing for CoV2 going to be in deciding to ‘Open Up’ Virginia? Let’s use…
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COVID-19 Update: Time to Re-Evaluate Usefulness of “Confirmed Cases” Statistic
by James A. Bacon The latest Virginia Department of Health (VDH) data continues to look alarming: 562 new reported cases yesterday, 75 new hospitalizations, and 27 new deaths. However, I’m sticking by my argument that the epidemic in Virginia is close to peaking. Here’s the nub of my argument, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases…
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Juvenile Center New COVID-19 Hotspot
By Dick Hall-Sizemore The Department of Juvenile Justice has announced that 25 juvenile offenders have tested positive for COVID-19. That is 12.5% of the population of 200 housed at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Chesterfield County. The announcement was made only after advocates for juveniles cited reports of numerous offenders in the facility…
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VDH Responsibilities Regarding Nursing Homes
by James C. Sherlock I have been asked an excellent question: What are the Virginia Health Commissioner’s responsibilities under federal and state law to regulate nursing homes? I will provide what I hope is a sufficiently complete answer. The question is relevant because we need to ensure that episodes like the Canterbury Rehabilitation tragedy don’t…
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Why Was Canterbury Short of Staff?
by James C. Sherlock The image above captures financial information about Canterbury Rehabilitation (known as Lexington Court until new ownership this year) published on the Virginia Health Information website for the fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 2018. That is the most recent data available to the public. Canterbury, to refresh your memory is the privately…
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COVID-19 a New Excuse for Racial Preferences
by Hans Bader Government officials are handing out tax dollars based on race and gender in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One example is in Arlington, where I live. The Arlington County government announced that it will hand out grants to small businesses based on “considerations” such as whether the business is “women and/or minority-owned.”…
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Richmond Assault Stats Up — Cabin Fever or Random Variation?
Some people of my acquaintance have wondered what the COVID-19 epidemic might do to the thin veneer of civilization that we Americans take so for granted. When people are living cooped up for weeks on end — with the prospect of social distancing extending for several months more — how will they behave? Will we…