Gov. Ralph Northam and First Lady Pam Northam tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Friday morning news release.On Wednesday, they were "notified that a member of the governor’s official residence staff, who works closely within the couple’s living quarters, had developed symptoms and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19,"...
A Virginia Senate committee swiftly killed a bill that would extend COVID-19-related workers’ compensation to first responders, teachers and health care providers.The Thursday vote ended any chance of expanding coverage during the ongoing special session — now in its fifth week — and marked another blow for House Democratic...
Lawyers representing Virginia prisoners are asking the state to install an independent expert to evaluate the Department of Corrections’ response to the coronavirus pandemic.The request comes as COVID-19 cases surge and the death toll rises amid an ongoing outbreak at Deerfield Correctional Center, which houses elderly and medically vulnerable...
By Dr. William Petri With COVID-19 vaccines currently in the final phase of study, you’ve probably been wondering how the FDA will decide if a vaccine is safe and effective.Based on the status of the Phase 3 trials currently underway, it is unlikely that the results of these trials will...
A state delegate joined the Virginia Manufacturers Association and other business owners to challenge emergency COVID-19 safety regulations adopted by the state’s Safety and Health Codes Board in July.In a Sept. 15 filing with the Richmond Circuit Court, Del. Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun, argued that he has been “uniquely harmed”...
Beginning in April, child welfare calls from Virginia schools — usually the state’s top reporter for cases of suspected abuse or neglect — dropped by about 98 percent.The Virginia Department of Social Services traced the sudden decline to statewide school closures in late March, which limited face-to-face interactions between...
One of Virginia’s largest insurance companies is lowering reimbursement rates for nurse practitioners and physician assistants amid the COVID-19 pandemic — a move that many doctors say will hurt already struggling primary care practices.Clark Barrineau, assistant vice president of government affairs for the Medical Society of Virginia, said the...
The Virginia Department of Health confirmed the first death of a child in Virginia due to COVID-19, according to a Friday news release.The patient was "an adolescent resident in the Southside Health District" — which includes Boydton, Lawrenceville, and Halifax — who tested positive for the virus. VDH listed...
Since the start of the school year in August, Radford City Schools have lost around 75 students compared to enrollment counts last May, according to district Superintendent Robert Graham. Across the state in Middlesex County, public schools are down roughly 47 students, said Superintendent Pete Gretz.Attendance at King William...
It was early July and Virginia prison officials thought they had the coronavirus pandemic pretty well under control.Gov. Ralph Northam’s secretary of public safety, Brian Moran, told lawmakers that they were down to 16 active cases among 28,000 inmates --- a result, he said, of extensive prevention measures undertaken...
