Virginia Society of Plastic Surgeons
 

Governor Northam's COVID-19 Briefing - 10/13/2020

TOPLINE UPDATES

  • The Governor provided an update on his and his wife's COVID-19 diagnosis and precautions taken for themselves and the Governor's Office. Nobody else in the Governor's Office has tested positive at this time.
  • The Governor has ended his quarantine after experiencing only mild symptoms.
  • Virginia Department of Health (VDH) staff provided a summary of how contact tracing, quarantine/isolation periods, and testing protocols work.
  • Virginia's positivity rate is below 5% and has been trending downward.
  • VDH has worked to refine public data visualizations and dashboards on its website.
  • As we approach winter and colder weather that will cause us to stay indoors, we should remain vigilant and cautious.
  • The Governor has begun signing legislation passed during the General Assembly's ongoing Special Session, including civil liability immunity for healthcare providers who work in certain patient settings.
  • The Administration has recently distributed federal CARES ACT funding as follows:
    • More than $220 million for K-12 public schools COVID-19 response
    • $30 million for local broadband projects
    • $12 million to expand the rent and mortgage relief program
  • The Administration will soon announce at least $50 million for:
    • Hazard pay for home health workers
    • Vaccination program
    • Childcare providers
  • The Administration is working to expand eligibility for the Rebuild Program for small businesses impacted by the pandemic; more information will be provided next week.
  • The Governor stated that he will not comment or take questions in depth due to an ongoing federal investigation on recent news about a plot to kidnap the Governor, but he said that he and his family take threats seriously, feel safe and are cooperating with federal, state and local law enforcement.

ELECTIONS

  • Today is the last day to register to vote in Virginia.
  • A Verizon internet broadband line was inadvertently cut today, affecting the Department of Elections (DOE). Verizon has been working to restore full connectivity.
  • The Governor does not have the power to extend the voter registration deadline. He supports a court order to extend the registration deadline. The Attorney General is considering legal options.
  • Visit the DOE website to learn about voting options, including early in-person, absentee mail, or in-person on Election Day.
  • Early voting rates have risen dramatically this year.

VDH COVID-19 STATISTICS

  • 1235 new cases in last 24-hour reporting period
  • 11 new deaths
  • 160,805 total cases
  • 3372 total deaths
  • More than 15,000 tests per day on average
  • 2,468,715 million total PCR tests
    • 20,720 new PCR tests in last reporting period
    • 554 antigen tests
    • 383 antibody tests

OTHER TOPICS

  • The Governor is not able to plan on further public health and business easing at this time.
  • VDH is preparing a public online dashboard on outbreaks in K-12 public schools and institutions of higher learning, except when privacy could be impacted.
  • Secretary Moran stated that the recent reports from the Office of the Inspector General (OSIG) on Parole Board conduct are at the discretion of OSIG to determine FOIA applicability and release. He stated that OSIG may be reluctant to release the full, unredacted reports to legislators because certain legislators released full reports that were previously provided to them, which is not in keeping with the law.