Photo by Adam Nieścioruk via Unsplash
While the COVID-19 pandemic-tempered Thanksgiving of 2020 tamped down road trips and family gatherings, highways and airways are expected to be relatively crowded this year, with AAA calling for an 80% boost in holiday flights, and 53.4 million Americans on the move this year.
How safe is it out there? Here’s a look at the numbers.
Compared with Thanksgiving 2020, there are 57.7% fewer Virginians in hospital with COVID-19. ICU beds are at 49% use, compared with 75% occupancy a year ago. The seven-day positivity rate stands at 5.8%, with a bit more than 1,500 new cases reported Tuesday, compared with more than 2,000 new cases and a positivity rate of 7.4% a year ago, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
There were 863 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Virginia as of Tuesday, according to Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. The report noted there were 221 people with COVID-19 in intensive care units, 113 on ventilators.
About 74% of Virginians have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination; 64.5% of Virginians are fully vaccinated, and 1.1 million Virginians have received a third, booster jab.
So as you get ready to hit the road, mask up when needed, and get vaccinated. It makes a huge difference: For the week ending Nov. 13, the infection rate per 100,000 for the unvaccinated was 242.5. The rate for the fully vaccinated in that period was 37.6. When your uncle tells you vaccines are ineffective, show him this stat: Out of 5.4 million vaccinated Virginians, 1% have developed breakthrough COVID-19 cases, .037% needed hospitalization, and 0.0131% have died.
CAPSULES
Health and medicine news in brief
- The VCU Massey Cancer Center has received a three-year, $150,000 grant targeted to alleviating disparities in cancer health in Virginia. It will be used through the Office of Health Equity and Disparities Research at Massey to seek to lower disparities in cancer rates and to improve survival rates for people with cancer in underserved communities, according to a release. The mortality rate from cancer is 14% higher for Black Virginians than white residents of the commonwealth. “[We] are committed to ensuring that every person, no matter who you are or where you live, has equal access to outstanding care and education about prevention and early detection,” says Dr. Robert A Winn, director and Lipman Chair in Oncology for Massey. The funding, from Bank of America, was announced on Nov. 10.
- A telehealth clinic is set for a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Nov. 30, at Glen Lea Elementary School. The clinic will use a webcam to link kids with doctors, dentists, nurses and other health care professionals; parents and guardians may participate in the sessions virtually. The telehealth clinic is a joint project of Henrico County Public Schools, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, VCU Dental Care and the Henrico Education Foundation. See the ribbon cutting here.
- Chippenham Hospital has earned a Top 50 national ranking in an assessment of cardiovascular hospitals from Fortune and IBM Watson Health. The annual list, The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals 2022, is described as “a benchmarking study focused on outcomes” and looked at 951 programs. Chippenham was the only Virginia facility on this year’s list. “Chippenham has been a leader in cardiac care since 2003 when it became the commonwealth of Virginia’s first heart hospital,” says Chippenham’s CEO, Dr. William Lunn, in a release. “This recognition speaks to our team’s diligent work in building the region’s premier center for heart care and, more importantly, saving lives.”
- The orthopedic practice Tuckahoe Orthopaedics has been acquired by Bon Secours Medical Group. “We are excited to join Bon Secours Medical Group where we will continue the highest quality orthopedic care to our patients, as we have for more than 40 years,” says Dr. Jed Vanichkachorn, president of the practice, in a release. “Being part of the enhanced care network of Bon Secours provides enhanced access to many new resources and increased efficiencies for our patients. We are looking forward to this next chapter.” Existing practice sites will continue operation. The acquisition was announced earlier in November. No terms have been announced.
- Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are part of a five-year study that will look at genetic risk factors for depression. The study will enroll 20,000 South Korean women and will be funded through a $8.98 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. Half the subjects will have recurrent depression and half will serve as a control group, according to a release. Researchers with Seoul National University Hospital and the University of California at Los Angeles also will participate. VCU’s Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler, a professor in psychiatry and professor and eminent scholar with the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at VCU, is one of three principal investigators for the project.
- Hopewell residents may have greater access to fresh local produce, courtesy of a $10,000 grant from the HCA Healthcare Foundation to the Hopewell Downtown Partnership in support of the Hopewell Farmers Market. The grant was announced Nov. 23.
