Category: Health Care
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The Progressives’ “Opportunity of a Lifetime”
by James C. Sherlock Virginia faces a crisis of governance during COVID-19, and the repercussions will play out in the General Assembly and in our elections for federal offices this fall. The political campaigns both within and outside the General Assembly will be about policy rather than the administrative skill to carry it out. In…
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Virginia Jails and Prisons Brace for Pandemic
by a contributing writer Fears of COVID-19 outbreaks among prisoners and correctional employees have begun to be realized. Department of Corrections efforts to mitigate infections have been notably effective, yet confirmed cases now include 13 inmates and five staff, as well as one inmate in the Fairfax County jail. Dozens more are being monitored. Given…
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COVID-19 Update: A Brief Respite in the Relentless Climb
Don’t get your hopes up. Yes, it is true that the number of new COVID-19 cases reported by the Virginia Department of Health this morning dropped 40%, but don’t make too much of one day’s results. As the chart above shows, the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases shows considerable volatility. Confirmed cases vary for…
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COVID-19 Update: Blastoff!
According to data published by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) this morning, the number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Virginia Friday shot up to 395, up from 306 the previous day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,407. To emphasize the change in the number of new cases, I have changed…
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Thank God for Medicaid Expansion
By Peter Galuszka For years after the Affordable Care Act, “Obamacare,” made millions of federal dollars available for states to expand Medicaid health coverage, Virginia Republicans steadfastly blocked Virginia from using the money. Led by former House Speaker Bill Howell and Sen. Tommy Norment, the GOP claimed that expanding Medicaid to nearly 400,000 people would…
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Percent of Positive COVID-19 Tests on Upward Trend
Ask and ye shall receive. In the comments section of a recent post, Don Rippert makes an interesting observation: “The cue for a serious outbreak seems to be a rise in percent positive for those being tested. That’s why Michigan and Indiana are being watched closely right now. As I recall from the article I…
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COVID-19 Update: Hospitalizations, Deaths Mount
Today’s data update from the Virginia Department of Health shows an an accelerating increase in confirmed new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths yesterday. Total COVID-19 cases: 2,012, up 306 over the previous day. The previously highest daily increase was 239. Total hospitalizations: 312, up 66 from the previous day. The previously highest daily increase was…
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Virginia Shortchanged by National Stockpile? Don’t Complain, Do Something
by James A. Bacon Virginia has received only a fraction of the medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile it needs to fight the COVID-19 virus, according to documents released by the House Committee on Oversight and reform. “The new documents we are releasing today confirm the urgent warnings we have been hearing from our…
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Latest COVID-19 Job Toll: 112,000 in Virginia Last Week
by James A. Bacon The latest unemployment claims are in, and they’re brutal — more than twice the level in Virginia (and across the country) of last week, which was, by far, the worst week in the history of the United States. For the week ending March 28, the number of seasonably unadjusted initial claims…
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Help Is Available, Governor
by James C. Sherlock The issues I spotlighted yesterday in Governor Northam’s news conference are not a Democrat or a Republican thing. They just need to be fixed. If you or I were elected Governor, we would consider our new responsibilities. We would find that we have basically four: Appoint competent and hard-working cabinet and sub-cabinet…
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More COVID-19 Innovators and Heroes
From Taiwan with love. Dr. Scott Hickey, president of the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians, is contracting with two Powhatan County companies to produce boxes designed to protect emergency health care workers while they intubate patients with COVID-19. Designed by a doctor in Taiwan, the protective box is being replicated in the U.S. to shield…
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COVID-19 Update: Mounting Toll
Here’s the latest COVID-19 data from the Virginia Department of Health based on yesterday’s developments. Total cases: 1,706, up 222 yesterday. Total hospitalizations: 246, up 38 yesterday. Total deaths: 41, up 7 yesterday. Total tests: 17,589, up 2,245 yesterday. And here, straight from Cranky’s Excel spreadsheet to you, the updated “doubling” time for key metrics:…
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Twin Tragedies: COVID-19 and the Northam Administration
by James C. Sherlock Communication in this time of crisis has not been a notable strength of either Governor Ralph Northam or his cabinet. I discovered the reason why in the Governor’s press conference today: They are clueless. The Northam administration’s online communications The state’s official website as of today has no information about the…
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Localities Are Re-Writing Budgets. So Should the State.
by James A. Bacon It is obvious to some people that COVID-19’s body blow to the economy will have a devastating impact on state/local government finances. Old Dominion University professors Ron Carlee and Robert McNab have estimated that local governments in Hampton Roads are losing at least $16 million a month in local taxes, while…
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Bacon Bits: Mobilizing Against COVID-19
NoVa field hospital sites identified. State officials have begun identifying sites to use for field hospitals in the event that an influx of COVID-19 patients overwhelm the capacity of Northern Virginia’s hospitals. The first phases of plans call for adding beds in existing hospitals or on hospital campuses. A third phase would establish new treatment…