Tag: COVID-19
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Suburbia Is Swell
by Kerry Dougherty There are at least two groups of babbling fools that have been mercifully silent during this emerging pandemic: anti-vaxxers and the so-called New Urbanists. No one wants to hear from the nuts who refuse to vaccinate their kids right now. The world is praying for a COVID-19 vaccine and these crazies don’t…
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Ranking Metros at Risk for COVID-19 Job Losses
Virginia’s metropolitan areas are somewhat less exposed than other metros to the risk of job losses stemming from the COVID-19 epidemic, according to a new report by the Brookings Institution. The Hampton Roads metro, home to substantial travel-and-tourism businesses in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, is the most vulnerable with 16.5% of jobs in what Brookings…
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COVID-19 Update: March 19
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Virginia continued its upward trajectory, increasing to 94, according to data just published by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). That represents an increase of 17 cases from the day before, which in turn had represented an increase of 10 from the previous day. Does the “increase in…
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Virginia Lags in COVID-19 Policy Actions
by James C. Sherlock The Kaiser Family Foundation today reported state COVID-19 policy actions through March 17. Virginia is one of only 18 of 50 states and the District of Columbia to have taken none of the listed policy actions other than an emergency declaration. The actions not taken include: Waive cost sharing for COVIC-19…
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COVID-19 Update: March 18
The latest data from the Virginia Department of Health: Ten more confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 77. Another 250 people were tested.
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Mass Transit Reacts to COVID-19 Menace
by James A. Bacon Another data point in the ongoing debate over cars versus mass transit… The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has asked riders to stay home and not to travel, as the agency prepared to cut service Wednesday, reports the Washington Times. Ridership has already fallen 70%. Metro, which operates buses and commuter…
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Which Localities Are at Most Respiratory Risk?
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, meaning it attacks the lungs. According to public health authorities, patients most at risk of severe illness or death from contracting the virus are those who have preexisting respiratory conditions. The American Lung Association publishes estimates, compiled from multiple data sources dating to 2017 and 2018, of the prevalence and…
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State Finally Focusing on Potential Hospital Bed Shortage
James A. Bacon Finally, there is evidence that Virginia public health authorities are wrestling with a critical issue I raised a week ago: Does Virginia have enough hospital beds to handle the COVID-19 epidemic. And, if not, what is being done about it? We got a few answers yesterday when Physician-in-Chief Ralph Northam and other…
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West Virginia Cocktail Party
Up yours, COVID-19! This is how we deal with epidemics in our western Henrico County cul de sac. We call it a West Virginia cocktail party. Someone in the neighborhood brings out some hors d’oeuvres, a bottle of wine and some folding chairs, and plants them in the front driveway. Neighbors come walking by, see…
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COVID-19 Update: March 17
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped sharply, according to statistics updated today by the Virginia Department of Health. But don’t panic! While the number of cases increased 31%, the number of people tests leaped 110% as testing kits became increasingly available. The leap is a function of the testing, not the spread of the…
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Powerful Medicine: Fresh Air and Sunlight
by James A. Bacon One day some 60 years ago, I caught the flu. My mother, who believed that “sunlight and fresh air” cured many ills, deposited me in a chaise lounge in the side yard, threw a blanket over my lap, and let me soak up the great outdoors. I have no idea if…
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Surviving COVID-19 with Video Chat, Netflix and Amazon Prime
Northern Virginia reader Allen Barringer responded to my request yesterday for readers to describe how they are coping with COVID-19. He started writing this piece as a comment, but it became so comprehensive that we decided to publish it as a full-fledged post. — JAB by Allen Barringer We live in a surreal moment: On…
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Tracking COVID-19 Cases in Virginia
Coronavirus cases reported by the Virginia Department of Health have continued to increase in recent days, but they do not appear to be increasing at an accelerating rate. Whether these numbers accurately reflect reality or just the paucity of testing kits remains to be seen. If the impression is accurate, it is heartening indeed: The…
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Damn the Coronavirus! Full Speed Ahead!
The budget forecasts underpinning Virginia’s General Fund budgets for FY 2021 and 2022 suggests that revenues will increase 4.5% next year and 3.7% the year after that. Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne released those numbers back in December, when COVID-19 was still an obscure disease incubating in a Wuhan wet market. But it’s a very…
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COVID-19 Open Thread: Speak, Readers. How Are You Responding?
by James A. Bacon On Friday I met a friend for what will likely be my last restaurant meal for a long time. We spent most of the time talking about the COVID-19 virus: its origins, the government’s response, and the response of individual citizens. We chatted with our waiter, who was cheerful and surprisingly…