COVID-19
CDC, Va. health officials tout updated COVID vaccine
While respiratory illnesses like the flu typically trend higher in the winter months, COVID-19 is not totally seasonal. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate high or very high levels of COVID nationwide this summer. But with new vaccines expected to be available next month and the winter months on the horizon, […]
FDA greenlights new COVID vaccine after a summer of rising numbers of cases
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine intended to address severe symptoms of the virus ahead of the cold and flu season. The new booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer follow a summer of increasing COVID-19 cases and are designed to better address the variants that are […]
New rite of the season, unfortunately, includes uptick in COVID-19 cases
Summertime in Virginia: Temps are sweltering and show no sign of abating. Children are out of school and bored. Various fruits and vegetables are ripe for the picking, even in this hellish heat. And cases of COVID-19, the scourge of our nation and the planet, tick up around the commonwealth. It’s become a rite of […]
Southwest Virginia health districts launching long COVID study
As COVID-19 rates rise in Virginia and around the nation this summer, the prevalence of long COVID is underreported. Virginia’s health department wants to better understand it, so it’s about to conduct a new study. The latest study will focus on Southwest Virginia residents after an initial analysis on Central Virginia last fall. Long COVID […]
COVID-19 infiltrated every socio-economic divide in Virginia. The next pandemic doesn’t have to.
Just a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, data began to suggest that disparities, especially disproportionate death rates, were forming on top of all too familiar divisions of race, economics and geography. This prompted Al Sharpton to opine, “I am not saying the pandemic is a conspiracy to kill or target Blacks, but it is […]
There’s a new COVID-19 variant and cases are ticking up. What do you need to know?
BY JULIE APPLEBY/KFF HEALTH NEWS It’s winter, that cozy season that brings crackling fireplaces, indoor gatherings — and a wave of respiratory illness. Nearly four years since the pandemic emerged, people are growing weary of dealing with it, but the virus is not done with us. Nationally, a sharp uptick in emergency room visits […]
Food and Drug Administration approves COVID boosters for upcoming season
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the latest round of COVID-19 boosters, as public health officials brace for another cold and flu season. An advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to vote on recommendations Tuesday, the final step in the process before people will […]
A life derailed by long COVID
By John Bolecek At the height of the Omicron wave in January 2022, my entire family – me, my wife and two sons, then ages 3 and 6 – got COVID through my younger son’s daycare. I was 38 years old, fit, vaccinated and boosted; because I have asthma, I was worried about getting […]
Freeway shootings continue to menace Hampton Roads, commonwealth
Something bizarre must happen to some folks when they get behind the wheel, cruise onto the interstate and encounter other motorists. At least that’s how one man, arrested after a shooting in March on Interstate 64, explained it to the Virginia State Police. It’s the first time the suspect has faced violent criminal charges, according […]
Survey: Va. health care workers increasingly confident about telehealth use
As most temporary provisions expanding access to healthcare services through telehealth – spurred by the now-expired federal public health emergency (PHE) – continue to remain permanent in Virginia due to recent changes in state law, a new survey shows a growing amount of providers have confidence, and saw improvements, in the care offered to patients […]
How long is too long for the VEC?
By Lisa D. Dance The pandemic is “officially” over. But, like thousands of other people in Virginia, I’m still waiting to receive my full unemployment benefits from the pandemic. I’m lucky; I can cover my bills. I worry about the people who can’t pay theirs and have waited over a year for the unemployment benefits […]
Over 20,000 Virginians lose Medicaid coverage a month into unwinding
Since the start of April, over 20,000 Virginians have lost Medicaid coverage as part of the state’s return to normal enrollment following the end of the COVID-19 federal public health emergency. For the past three years, anyone who was enrolled in Medicaid was allowed to keep their coverage regardless of whether or not they still […]