Dr. Karen Shelton watches as cases of COVID-19 begin again to rise in Virginiaâs Appalachian counties.
She needs more vaccine. And sheâll need more people willing to roll up their sleeves to take it.
At the moment, Shelton, who directs public health for everyone living west of the New River Valley, doesnât have enough doses to meet the demand. Her region was hit especially hard over the fall and winter, with the virus killing more than 800 people. The local hospital system became so overwhelmed that it had to curtail all but critical medical care, create new intensive care units and park morgue trucks outside its flagship hospitals.
ON MARCH 29, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control, shared âthe recurring feeling I have of impending doom.â She later gave MSNBC viewers some good news: âOur data from the CDC today suggests, you know, that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, donât get sick.â
Three days later, a CDC spokesman took it back: âDr. Walensky spoke broadly during this interview. Itâs possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get COVID-19. The evidence isnât clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence.â
Oregon Health Authority has identified 168 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases â when vaccinated individuals test positive for the virus â thru April 2, including three deaths.
OHA public health officials say itâs a reminder that while the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are all highly effective at preventing severe COVID-19 illness and death, no vaccine is 100% effective, and vaccine breakthrough cases will occur.
These cases have been reported in 25 counties and all health care preparedness regions (Region 1: 76; Region 2: 29; Region 3: 27; Region 5: 9; Region 6: 4; Region 7: 17; Region 9: 6). OHA is not reporting the regions in which the deaths took place.
Vaccine breakthrough cases are defined as instances in which an individual received a positive COVID-19 test result at least 14 days after the final dose of any COVID-19 vaccine series. Vaccine breakthrough cases can be prevented by basic public health interventions, such as masking, phy
Apr.09 As Americans get ready to hit the road this summer, gas prices are ticking up again. Jeffrey Bair explains why.
SPRINGFIELD â Prices for unleaded gasoline in Springfield and statewide have surged to levels not seen since summer 2019.
A report from GasBuddy, a website that tracks gas prices at the local, state and national levels, shows the average price of regular, unleaded gasoline has reached near $3 per gallon in Springfield, with prices hitting an average of $2.92 per gallon on Friday. The price of gas peaked at $2.99 on March 16. Statewide, prices also have reached close to $3, with unleaded hitting an average of $2.99 a gallon on Friday. The statewide price peaked at $3.07 on March 17.