Tag: Thomas Jefferson Health District

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On a roll: Health department begins vaccinating non-hospital health care workers

Coronavirus case numbers continue to rise in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties. PC: Blue Ridge Health District

The local vaccine rollout process continues. About a month after the first coronavirus vaccines were shipped to hospitals across the country, Charlottesville’s frontline health care employees who work outside of hospitals are now getting vaccinated.

On Monday, the Blue Ridge Health District (formerly known as the Thomas Jefferson Health District) began offering the first dose of the Moderna vaccine to area emergency service providers, dialysis center staff, and Region Ten residential facility staff at its location on Rose Hill Drive.

To expedite the distribution process, on Wednesday the district will begin hosting at least three appointment-only clinics per week for these select health care workers in a new temporary structure set up in the former Kmart parking lot. Red Light Management and the Bama Works Fund contributed funding to set up the facility.

“There are over 1,000 EMS [workers] that we need to vaccinate. There are folks going in and out of the hospital as well. So we want to get them done first,” says Kathryn Goodman, spokesperson for the health district.

The shots will be administered by public health nurses, who received their own vaccinations (and vaccine training) at the end of December. The district is currently working to vaccinate the rest of its staff.

The health district hopes to vaccinate about 500 to 600 people per week at the pop-up clinic.

Because both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses to be fully effective, district staff will use a new state Vaccine Administration Management System to properly track appointments and alert patients when they need to return for their second dose.

As more vaccine shipments arrive in the next few weeks, the clinics will open up to other frontline health care workers (hospice employees, primary care providers, dental practice employees, pharmacy workers, Department of Corrections health care personnel, K-12 school nurses, and more) who have had potential contact with COVID or with high-risk patients.

“We’ll have the information sent out to these groups,” says Goodman. “We have quite a long list already of thousands and thousands of individuals who need to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

UVA and Martha Jefferson hospitals continue to vaccinate their own employees. Other health care entities in Charlottesville and surrounding counties must fill out a BRHD survey indicating how many of their employees need to be vaccinated. The district plans to host additional clinics for health care employees—and eventually other essential workers and high-risk individuals—down the line.

To date, 89,326 people have received the vaccine in Virginia, including 1,542 in Charlottesville, and 1,615 in Albemarle County. However, none have been administered their second dose, according to the Virginia Department of Health vaccine dashboard.

Meanwhile, the health district has seen a record surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations since Thanksgiving, and expects numbers to worsen in the next few weeks following the holiday season. In December alone, there were 2,181 new cases, 86 hospitalizations and 10 deaths—the worst month of the pandemic.

While new cases in the district have remained low since the start of the new year, the district’s positivity rate is currently at 9.4 percent, the highest it has been since April.

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A shot in the arm: Vaccine distribution begins for local hospital workers

Nearly one year after the first coronavirus cases were reported in the U.S., UVA hospital and Sentara Martha Jefferson have received their first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, and begun vaccinating employees who come in direct contact with coronavirus patients. PC: Sanjay Suchek

Last Tuesday, UVA hospital’s ICU director Taison Bell became one of the first people in Charlottesville to receive the newly approved coronavirus vaccine. It was a moment of “mixed emotions,” says Bell, who has worked with COVID patients throughout the crisis.

“It was definitely a good feeling to finally have something that can potentially protect you and your family from COVID-19, but also bittersweet,” he says. “In order to get to this point, so many hundreds of thousands of people have died…It was just ironic that the key to getting out of this was in this tiny little vial.”

Nearly one year after the first coronavirus cases were reported in the U.S., the vaccine is finally available. Shortly after the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use on December 11, it was sent to hospitals across the country, including here in Charlottesville.

Last Tuesday, UVA hospital received 3,000 doses of the vaccine. The day before, Sentara, which runs Martha Jefferson, received 11,700 doses to be shared among multiple facilities. Both hospitals immediately began vaccinating doctors, nurses, and other staff who come in direct contact with coronavirus patients in the COVID-19 unit or the emergency department.

Once these high-risk employees are vaccinated—and the two health care systems receive additional shipments—the shot will be available to essential hospital workers, then to the rest of the staff, with priority placed on those who are medically vulnerable.

Local long-term care facilities will be able to receive on-site vaccination services from pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS.

On Friday, the Moderna vaccine was also approved by the FDA, and shipped to hospitals two days later.

Both vaccines—currently available only to adults—have over 95 percent effective rates, and require two doses in order to be fully effective. Pfizer’s doses must be spaced out by 21 days, while Moderna’s require a 28-day wait.

Bell says he felt fine after receiving the shot, despite the mild discomfort from the needle. However, recipients may experience mild side effects, including fatigue, chills, body aches, or headaches.

While the long-term effects of the vaccine are still unknown, science and safety were not “cut short” in the approval process, explains Bell.

“[It] is based on a platform called messenger RNA technology, which is novel in the sense that it hasn’t been used in a licensed vaccine before—but the actual science and study behind it has been going on for more than a decade,” he says. “I have no doubt [that] it’s safe.”

mRNA ultimately protects recipients from developing symptoms of the virus. It has yet to be determined if either vaccine can completely prevent COVID-19 infections.

The $9 billion government investment into the vaccine also expedited its development and distribution, explains Bell. And as COVID cases continue to spike around the country, researchers had little trouble finding people infected with the virus who were willing to participate in trials, which can be a challenge when developing vaccines for different diseases.

According to the Thomas Jefferson Health District’s Emergency Manager Jessica Coughlin, the next stages of vaccine distribution will likely take several months to get through.

After health care employees, essential workers—including teachers, paramedics, bus drivers, and service workers—will be next in line for the shot, along with high-risk populations. The Centers for Disease Control has released loose guidelines for vaccine distribution priority, but states and hospital systems still have significant control over the specifics of the rollout process.

The vaccine is not expected to be available to the general public until early summer. But with more than 200 coronavirus vaccines still in development across the globe, this timeline may change. Because the development of the vaccine was paid for by the federal government, it will be free to all who decide to get it.

Developing the vaccine is one thing. Convincing people to take it could be a different challenge. America’s long and brutal history of medical racism has left many people in the Black community mistrustful of the coronavirus vaccine, says Bell.

From 1932 to 1972, in the infamous Tuskegee experiment, the U.S. Public Health Service allowed nearly 400 Black men in Alabama with syphilis to go untreated in order to study the full progression of the disease, causing many participants to suffer from blindness, insanity, and other severe health problems. Meanwhile, in Charlottesville, UVA was a hub for eugenic science. Doctors in Virginia sterilized thousands of Black people without their consent from the 1920s to the 1970s.

“The Black community remembers these insults…[They] must be addressed head-on,” says Bell. “It’s not a matter of just saying, ‘Oh, well trust us now.’ Because the same message was given to people back in Tuskegee and the eugenics movement.”

While there is no single solution to this deep-rooted trauma, Bell encourages his colleagues to “recognize these wounds,” and work to heal them by being honest, transparent, and explaining as much as possible. They must also assure concerned patients that Black people have been a part of the research, development, and trials for the vaccine from the very beginning.

Coughlin says primary care physicians will be best-equipped to help people make good choices around the vaccine, and that the health district is encouraging people to “do their research, look at official sources, and speak with their physicians.”

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In brief: New COVID regulations, legal weed, and more

Daily new cases in Charlottesville and Albemarle PC: Data courtesy TJHD

Tighten it up

On Sunday, with COVID-19 cases surging across the United States, Governor Ralph Northam announced a new set of stricter regulations for citizens and businesses in Virginia. The rules, which went into effect at midnight on November 15, limit gatherings to 25 individuals, instead of the previous 250. Restaurants are now required to end alcohol sales by 10pm and close by midnight. Masks are mandated for any person over the age of 5, in contrast to the previous mandate, which only included those 10 years of age and up. There are large exceptions, however: The new restrictions do not apply to schools, churches, offices, gyms, businesses, or sporting events.

On November 12, the day before Northam’s announcement, the CDC reported 194,610 new cases in the U.S., the record for a single day. Virginia is doing better than many states, yet has still seen a 24.3 percent rise in its weekly average cases compared to last month. The Thomas Jefferson Health District, which encompasses the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, continues to see relatively stable numbers of total cases, though officials have warned that things could get worse quickly as the holiday season sets in.

With less than two weeks until Thanksgiving, Northam describes these restrictions as preventative. “COVID-19 is surging across the country, and while cases are not rising in Virginia as rapidly as in some other states, I do not intend to wait until they are,” he said in a video released on Sunday. “We are acting now to prevent this health crisis from getting worse.”—Caroline Challe

Early to bed

Monday night’s City Council meeting adjourned just after 9:30pm, a mercifully early finish. This year, council meetings, which begin at 6:30 pm, have regularly run into the wee hours of the morning. As councilors and observers have noted, holding important discussions late in the evening makes public participation difficult for working people, and also puts a strain on the city’s staff.

This week’s early adjournment comes in part thanks to a scheduling tweak made by council, which will now listen to reports by city staff—like Monday’s report on the city’s fiscal year 2021 budget—in the afternoon, rather than during the evening meetings.

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Quote of the week

“You get one person who’s asymptomatic and infected, and then all of a sudden, four or five people in that gathering are infected…You don’t want to be the Grinch that stole the holidays.”

—Dr. Anthony Fauci, on the importance of safe Thanksgiving plans

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In brief

Union recruitment

With UVA Health System experiencing severe staffing and management issues, United Campus Workers at UVA is currently surveying and recruiting hospital employees. The union urges them to regularly check their work email for a confidential survey on their working conditions and concerns, as well as their right to join the union, which is protected under federal and state law.

Police problems

An October blog post from the Rugby Avenue Unitarian Universalist church circulated this week, describing yet another example of troubling behavior from the Charlottesville Police Department. Per the blog post, a Black male church member was walking down the sidewalk, on his way to help clean the playground, when a UVA student called the cops. Five police cars flocked to the scene and accosted the church member for questioning before letting him proceed. An internal investigation is ongoing, and will conclude in around two weeks, says CPD spokesman Tyler Hawn.

High priorities

Governor Northam announced on Monday that he will support legislation to fully legalize marijuana in the next year’s General Assembly session. Last year, the assembly decriminalized the drug, making possession punishable with a fine rather than a misdemeanor. Should the Old Dominion move forward with Northam’s plan, Virginia would become the 16th state, and the first state in the South, to make the drug fully legal.

Cash help

With remaining CARES Act funds, the city will offer some financial assistance to the 228 temporary employees it stopped paying last month. Those with a household income below 50 percent of the area median income can receive up to $750, while those below 30 percent can get up to $1,000. Interested employees must contact the Department of Human Services.

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Still here: Public health experts urge caution as holidays approach

With cold weather and the flu season upon us, the Charlottesville community should brace itself for a serious uptick in COVID-19 cases. PC: Thomas Jefferson Health District

Nationwide, nearly 100,000 new COVID cases were reported last Friday—the most in a single day to this point. And with COVID-19 spreading across the country faster than ever, that number will almost certainly rise.

Locally, positivity rate has remained low, currently at just 2.4 percent, said Thomas Jefferson Health District medical director Denise Bonds at Monday’s City Council meeting. Bonds attributes that rate to the “very large number of tests that UVA is doing on an almost daily basis.”

Even so, the health district urges caution as the winter months and holiday season approach.

“The more people gathering—whether it’s at work sites or community events—it’s more of a risk for people to get exposed to COVID-19, and spread it to others,” says TJHD spokesperson Kathryn Goodman.

The return of students to UVA Grounds contributed to case spikes in Charlottesville and Albemarle in September and early October. Since the fall semester began in late August, students have been spotted crowding into bars on the Corner, and attending off-Grounds parties—typically standing close to each other and not wearing masks.

As of November 3, the university has reported 1,108 cases among students, faculty, staff, and contract employees since August 17. The spike receded in the later part of October, and 26 cases are currently active.

“A majority of what we’ve seen [with] UVA cases is that it’s been spread amongst UVA, and not far out into the community,” says Goodman. “It’s hard to know that always though—we can’t say for sure there hasn’t been [any] community spread from UVA cases.”

The health district continues to focus on educating area residents about proper safety precautions through social media, testing events, and other outreach measures.

“We know that everybody is tired of hearing about it…[but] COVID is still here unfortunately,” adds Goodman. “We have to continue to be extra cautious by wearing face masks, washing our hands, keeping six feet apart, [and] staying home when sick to help prevent further spread.”

The health district will offer free testing every day the week before Thanksgiving, and set up additional testing sites the week afterward.

Families should celebrate Thanksgiving—along with other upcoming holidays—with their own household, and include family and friends virtually, says Goodman.

“One of the highest-risk decisions people can make for Thanksgiving is having multiple households gather indoors together,” she adds. “It’s important people recognize that this year, we have to do things differently.”

People who do visit family or friends for the holidays should quarantine for two weeks before their trip, gather outside, and make sure each household is seated at separate tables, spaced at least six feet apart.

The health district is also worried about chilly fall weather—the beginning of cold and flu season—and its potential impact on cases.

“A lot of our concern is around people not being able to get together outdoors. The cold weather brings people inside,” says Goodman. “We [also] don’t know what the effects could be if someone gets the flu and COVID-19 together.”

To prevent the spread of the flu in the community, the TJHD is currently offering free flu shots. Its next drive-through clinic will be November 7 from 2 to 5pm at Charlottesville High School.

Correction 11/5: TJHD will be offering free COVID testing every day the week before Thanksgiving, not every day before Thanksgiving.

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Charlottesville Free Clinic finds a new home

The Virginia Department of Health terminated the Charlottesville Free Clinic’s Rose Hill Drive lease, so the facility is moving to the Wellness Center, eight blocks down the road, on Preston Avenue. PC: Zack Wajsgras

For the past 24 years, the Charlottesville Free Clinic has provided no-cost physicals, prescriptions, mental health services, dental care, and more for the uninsured and underinsured from its Rose Hill Drive facility, which it has long shared with the Thomas Jefferson Health District.

But in May, the Virginia Department of Health announced it was terminating the clinic’s lease, in order to create office space for the additional 25 staff members it planned to hire to do COVID testing, contract tracing, and other pandemic-related jobs. That’s presented a new challenge for the Free Clinic, just as the pandemic accelerates.

While the clinic only had to cover utilities fees—approximately $14,000 a year—at the TJHD office complex, it will now need to pay rent for its new space at the Charlottesville Wellness Center, a medical office complex on Preston Avenue.

“This will be an uptick in our budget significantly. …It’s going to be around $150,000 a year in additional costs,” says Colleen Keller, executive director of the Free Clinic. “And if we can’t get the community to stay behind us and raise the money, it’s going to cost us about $250,000 to move, [since] we have to build a pharmacy and make a few changes to the medical clinic space.”

Throughout the pandemic, the clinic has had to rely on its reserve fund, along with donations from the community, explains Keller. But to stay afloat at its new location, it will need additional funding.

“The health department doesn’t provide us any support at all…The [City of Charlottesville] and [Albemarle County] support us, most significantly for the dental clinic,” she says.

On the upside, the third floor of the Wellness Center is already a fully outfitted medical clinic. And there are two bus stops nearby, making it more convenient for patients without cars. Still, finding room for the clinic’s 400 volunteers takes some finesse.

As the pandemic rages on, Keller expects the clinic to continue serving an increased number of patients. Approximately 15,000 people in Charlottesville and Albemarle do not have health insurance, according to the latest census stats—and that number has undoubtedly risen, as people have lost their jobs.

“We’re really worried about the newly uninsured, so we’re screening people over the phone. You can send us your income information, and we can get you qualified,” she says.

With thousands of vulnerable residents relying on its services, the clinic will not shut down during the moving process, Keller emphasizes. Staff will continue to safely offer select medical and dental care, as well as curbside pharmacy pickup at its Rose Hill Drive location. Many of its other services, like check-ups and counseling, are currently being offered via telehealth, too.

“For the dental clinic, we come to your car for screening, and bring people in one at a time,” says Keller. “We also just started doing flu shots outside.”

The clinic’s new location will open by early December.

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In brief: Johnny Reb’s coming down, Kanye’s off the ballot, and more

The infamous Johnny Reb statue in Court Square is finally coming down on September 12. PC: Staff photo

In brief

Officer arrested

Charlottesville police officer Jeffrey Jaeger was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery last week. The charges stem from a March 3 incident in which three officers, including Jaeger, who is white, arrested an unnamed Black defendant for being drunk in public. After showing body camera footage during the trial, the defendant was found not guilty. It’s the latest incident in a disturbing pattern for the Charlottesville police: In a separate episode in July, a CPD officer was caught on film violently arresting a homeless man on the Downtown Mall.

No more ballots in VA

Two weeks ago, allegations surfaced that the signatures rapper-entrepreneur Kanye West had collected to make the presidential ballot in Virginia had been gathered fraudulently. Last week, those allegations were confirmed, and a Virginia court booted West from the ballot. How could they be so heartless?

Save the date

After years of activist campaigns, Johnny Reb is finally coming down on September 12. The removal of the infamous Court Square statue, as well as the two cannons and stacked cannonballs, will be livestreamed on the Albemarle County Facebook page. The event will feature guest speakers. A handful of organizations with dubious motives, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, have volunteered to rehouse the statue. 

Campus crises

COVID cases continue to rise at UVA. The school reported 227 total positive cases as of September 6, as well as six new hospitalizations this weekend. Thomas Jefferson Health District has reported 198 new cases in the last week. The New York Times reports that cases have spiked in 100 college towns since students returned, especially in the Midwest and South.

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Quote of the week

“[There’s] no real policy changes [coming], in that the system did work in the way that it is supposed to and it is designed to.”

—Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney after a CPD officer was charged for the assault and battery of a Black resident.

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Don’t get complacent : The virus is still with us, says local health department

It’s been nearly three weeks since most of Virginia moved into Phase 2 of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan. Some restrictions were loosened on businesses and social gatherings, but the pandemic is far from over, warns Ryan McKay, deputy incident coordinator for the Thomas Jefferson Health District. PC: Robert Llewellyn

Nearly three weeks ago, most of Virginia moved into Phase 2 of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan, loosening restrictions on a range of businesses. As the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests continues to trend downward, Virginians can now sit down to eat inside in a restaurant, work out at the gym, or hit the pool. And with places like Great Wolf Lodge planning to reopen soon (and Virginia Beach already open), you can even take a summer vacation.

But the pandemic is not over, warns Ryan McKay, deputy incident coordinator for the Thomas Jefferson Health District. Due to increased testing and availability, especially in black and Latino communities (which have been disproportionately impacted by the virus), new cases are still being reported in the Charlottesville area every day. And since the start of Phase 2, four people in the district have been hospitalized with the disease.

Fortunately, “case counts are relatively small compared to other localities in the state,” McKay says. “We continue to climb a little bit, and here and there we may have a day with more cases than we’ve seen previously, [depending] on what sort of testing is going on. But we’re not overwhelmed locally with cases in terms of contract tracing or investigation. Our hospitals have not been overwhelmed…we feel like we’re in really good shape, and we have been all along.”

“But that can change because we’re opening up more,” he stresses. “More people are going to be together in larger groups, and we just want to make sure we’re adhering to the guidance for Phase 2…[They’re] the safety measures that got us to this point in the first place.”

When going out, everyone should take Governor Ralph Northam’s order seriously, and always wear a face mask indoors.

“The asymptomatic individuals who have COVID can spread the disease,” says McKay. “You might feel great. You want to go out, and don’t want the face covering because it’s constrictive, or you don’t like the way it feels or think it’s unnecessary—[but] you still can actually spread the disease.” 

“The best way to prevent that spread is [to] wear the face covering,” he adds. “That’s really what it’s meant for, to limit spread. It’s not necessarily a safety measure for the individual wearing it, but we’re helping to protect the community.”

People should also stay at least a six feet away from others, excluding household members, and comply with the established guidelines for each place they visit or activity they participate in, even with close family and friends. At a picnic or cookout, for example, they should avoid sharing food or utensils, says McKay.

While it’s generally fine for people who adhere to these rules to go out, it’s still safest to stay home, when possible. Those with underlying health conditions should especially “be mindful of where they’re going,” and “stay inside as much as they can,” adds McKay.

Though the recent protests against police brutality and systemic racism held in Charlottesville have attracted hundreds of people (many wearing face masks), the area has not seen a dramatic rise in cases. “Phase 2 and some of the protests here have coincided, so we’re not at a point where we can definitely say that one thing or the other has led to a huge increase in cases,” McKay says. “But we haven’t really had big spikes in our cases.”

He says the health department’s main concern is people disregarding safety guidelines on a larger scale. Phase 3 of reopening could be delayed again, or—in dire circumstances—Virginia could go back to Phase 1.

“Wearing the masks, if we do that as a community, down to the individual level, that’ll help us move forward into Phase 3 and continue to be able to do things that we want, with some mitigation strategies in place,” McKay adds.

But until there is a vaccine and widespread immunity to COVID-19, we should remain “concerned” about the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus cases, according to McKay. With local schools and the University of Virginia reopening in the fall, there will be even more opportunity for the virus to spread if the proper precautions aren’t taken.

Right now, “the best thing we can do is stress education about those strategies to minimize risk,” he says. “Making sure we’re protecting ourselves, but also each other, is going to be hugely important.”

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In brief: Deadly disparities, graduation guesses, and more

Deadly disparities

While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people of all backgrounds across the globe, statistics show that it has had a disproportionate impact on black Americans. Data is limited, because only about 35 percent of U.S. cases specify a patient’s race, according to the CDC. But its numbers show that black people comprise nearly 34 percent of those infected with COVID-19, though they make up only 13 percent of the population. And African Americans make up nearly 30 percent of U.S. deaths from the virus, according to the latest Associated Press analysis.

Charlottesville is certainly not immune to this issue. In the Thomas Jefferson Health District, as of April 17, about 32 percent of people infected with coronavirus (and 25 percent of those who’ve died) are black, while black people make up only 13.9 percent of the district’s population.

Black communities in other parts of the state have been hit even harder by COVID-19. In Richmond, all eight people who’ve died from the virus were black. And while 48 percent of the city’s population is African American, black people make up about 62 percent of local cases.

Medical professionals, activists, and political leaders around the country have attributed these disparities to pre-existing inequities within our health care and economic systems. Blacks are more likely than whites to be uninsured and receive lower-quality health care, as well as have underlying conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease—all often caused or worsened by poverty. And due to unequal education, housing segregation, and other systemic inequalities, a significant portion of black Americans live in densely packed areas and do not have jobs that allow them to work from home, making social distancing more difficult.

To provide more black Virginians with adequate health care access, the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP has sent a letter to Governor Ralph Northam asking him to use his “executive discretion” to speed up the Medicaid eligibility process using data available immediately from the Department of Taxation, along with other resources. Because there is currently a backlog of applications, those trying to be approved for Medicaid may have to wait as long as 45 days—which, for some people, “may be a death sentence.”

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Quote of the Week

“There was a housing crisis two months ago, and this entire community spent a number of years moving towards addressing that…And now we have an even bigger crisis.”

—Brandon Collins, Public Housing Association of Residents, addressing City Council on Monday

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In Brief

Gradual grads

UVA announced two tentative dates for graduation, after the original ceremony was canceled due to coronavirus. The class of 2020 will walk the Lawn on October 9-11, or, failing that, May 28-30, the weekend after the class of 2021 graduates. The university will still hold a digital ceremony to confer degrees this May, although it’s unclear if Zoom will have installed a virtual cap-flinging feature by then.

Sales are not on the menu

Seventy-eight percent of Virginia’s restaurant employees have been laid off since February, according to a new study from the National Restaurant Association. In the first week of April, the state’s restaurant sales declined 77 percent, compared to the same time period last year. That downturn has already forced longtime Charlottesville staple the Downtown Grille to permanently close its doors, while other beloved spots like Rapture, Tavola, and Oakheart Social have closed temporarily.      

Capital loss

Death penalty critic Jerry Givens died last Monday in Henrico County at age 67. His son, Terence Travers, did not reveal Givens’ cause of death, but said that he had pneumonia and had tested positive for COVID-19. Givens, who spoke with C-VILLE in February for a story about the fight against the death penalty in Virginia, served as the state’s chief executioner for 17 years, before becoming an outspoken opponent of capital punishment.

Out of the House

Legislators in the state capital won’t be able to meet in their regular chambers for this month’s short veto session. Instead, Democratic leadership reports that the Senate will gather in a convention center, with members seated at desks 10 feet apart from each other, and the House will convene in a huge tent on the lawn near the capital.

Updated 4/22: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Rapture had closed permanently; according to the restaurant’s Facebook page, it is closed “indefinitely.” 

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How to track a virus

The Thomas Jefferson Health Department conducts investigations of each local case of the coronavirus. PC: CDC

You can’t stop coughing and are running a fever. It’s becoming harder for you to breathe, and you can barely muster the energy to get out of bed. A glance at the CDC’s website confirms your greatest fear: You may have the coronavirus.

What happens from there? We spoke with Ta’Kindra Westbrook, a disease intervention specialist at the Thomas Jefferson Health Department, who explains the process step-by-step. (Her answers have been edited for length and clarity.)

C-VILLE: A person calls TJHD fearing he has the coronavirus. What happens next?

Ta’Kindra Westbrook: We try to provide them with as much information as possible. If they are concerned about their symptoms or think they’ve come in contact with someone with the virus and want to get tested, we refer them to their primary care provider, who can then evaluate their symptoms and order testing, if they feel it’s necessary. If they don’t have a PCP, we ask them to call a local urgent care. Due to CDC guidelines, individuals who’ve been exposed to the virus, but don’t have symptoms, are not prioritized for testing, and are advised to self-isolate for 14 days.

Where is the test sent? How long does it take to get the results?

It all depends on the primary care provider. They can send the test to a commercial lab, such as Labcorp. The results can take up to seven days. 

[Editor’s note: UVA has developed its own coronavirus test, which provides results in one to two days. To get it, a patient must be seen at or referred to UVA Health.]

What do people do while they are waiting to be tested, or for their results to come in?

They should continue to self-isolate and monitor their symptoms. If any changes occur, they should consult with their PCP and seek the necessary medical assistance. 

What happens if the test comes back positive?

The lab is reported to the health department. Once we receive it, we follow up with the primary care provider and collect any necessary medical information and history. A case investigator will then call the patient and do a thorough interview with them to find out who their contacts were during their time of incubation, and while they were out and about. 

Once we get the contacts’ information, we reach out to them and complete a risk assessment, which determines their exposure period to the original patient and if they have any symptoms of COVID-19. If they don’t have any, we ask them to isolate for 14 days from their last moment of contact with that original patient. But if they do have symptoms, or develop them while in isolation, we refer them for testing. 

If one of the contacts tests positive for the virus, we will collect additional information from their primary care provider, and re-interview them to learn about their movement and contacts.

How is the person treated for the virus? 

Again, it is up to their primary care provider. If they are experiencing mild symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose, they may be quarantined at home for approximately two weeks, during which their provider monitors their symptoms. If they have or develop severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, then they may need to be admitted to the hospital.

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Be prepared: Is Charlottesville ready for the coronavirus?

It’s been nearly three weeks since most of Virginia moved into Phase 2 of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan. Some restrictions were loosened on businesses and social gatherings, but the pandemic is far from over, warns Ryan McKay, deputy incident coordinator for the Thomas Jefferson Health District. PC: Robert Llewellyn

Since last week, when health officials warned that Americans should prepare for the inevitable spread of the coronavirus here in the U.S., at least 12 Americans have died and new cases have been emerging almost daily. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Americans should be prepared for the spread of the virus in local communities, as well as the possible disruptions to daily life it could cause, such as school and daycare closings.

So how is Charlottesville preparing? 

While the risk in Virginia “is still low” (there have not yet been any confirmed cases in the state), the Thomas Jefferson Health District is monitoring the situation and is prepared for any potential outbreak, says Jessica Salah, TJHD’s health emergency coordinator.

“We have been working with our central office since 2004 for pandemic influenza. We regularly meet with our community partners, local service providers, and health care partners to plan how we handle pandemic flu,” Salah says. “If you take pandemic flu out of the equation and insert a different communicable disease, the planning process and preparedness is very similar.” 

At UVA Health System, spokesman Eric Swensen says the system also “has a team in place that meets regularly…and makes updates to our plan as we need to,” based on guidance from the CDC and Virginia Department of Health.

According to Dr. William Petri, chief of UVA’s Infectious Diseases and International Health division, UVA hospital has numerous isolation rooms available for those infected with contagious diseases like COVID-19 (the disease caused by the new coronavirus). It also has plenty of face masks on hand, since the virus is primarily spread by coughing and sneezing (or by touching a contaminated surface). 

“And if a physician needs to go into isolation for 14 days because they potentially may have COVID-19 or are being treated for COVID-19…we are establishing a backup system, so that there’s another physician that can take their place, and we don’t get shorthanded,” Petri says. 

Petri, along with UVA virologist Peter Kasson, is currently applying for a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Though the grant could take months to be awarded, he believes that, with support from UVA, they should be able to start working on the vaccine soon. And with pharmaceutical companies like Gilead Sciences already conducting clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines, there could be a treatment available within a year, Petri predicts.

Dr. William Petri PC: Sanjay Suchak/UVA

Meanwhile, the university itself is also making plans. Since January, “a UVA team has been meeting regularly to prepare for the potential impacts of [COVID-19] on the university,” according to an update issued to parents by Patricia Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officer. The university has made arrangements to quarantine potentially infected students, if necessary. 

UVA has not canceled any of its study abroad programs, but says it will do so if any countries where it is hosting programs receive Level 3 warnings or higher from the State Department. (Currently, China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy have such warnings, and UVA is not hosting any programs there this semester.) The university also strongly recommends students not travel to these countries during the upcoming spring break.

According to UVA spokesman Brian Coy, there is a small group of students studying abroad in Italy with a non-UVA program. The university has advised those students to return to the United States, where they may undergo screening for the virus.

Student travel organization WorldStrides, which has its headquarters in Charlottesville, has canceled or relocated programs scheduled for China, South Korea, and Italy this spring, but there are currently no students in those countries, according to Beth Campbell, vice president of content and communications.

Though TJHD recommends Charlottesville residents stay updated on the COVID-19 outbreak, it ultimately encourages them not to panic, and take simple precautions to keep themselves (and others) healthy, Salah says.

“Monitor CDC travel recommendations and avoid nonessential travel to [Level 3 countries],” Salah says. “We are also recommending that folks older than 65 get the pneumonia vaccine, and that everybody over the age of 6 months get the flu vaccine.”

TJHD does not recommend buying a face mask, but, as with every cold and flu season, advises people to wash their hands regularly, minimize touching their face and commonly used surfaces (like railings and door knobs), and stay home when sick. 

“And if you suspect you might have [COVID-19]—and the biggest reason to suspect that is that you have been to a country where COVID-19 is spreading person-to-person, and now have a fever, cough, and shortness of breath—call in first,” Petri adds. “Don’t just walk into the emergency room or doctor’s office, because then you run the risk of spreading the infection to other people.”

Charlottesville City Schools’ page on coronavirus: charlottesvilleschools.org/coronavirus/

Updates from UVA Health: uvahealth.com/services/infectious-disease/coronavirus-faqs

 

Updated 3/4 and 3/5 to reflect the increasing number of American deaths. As of 3/10 there are now five confirmed cases in Virginia, more than 720 in the U.S., and 26 deaths.