Cases Mount In Nursing Facilities

RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has created a task force to address COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities.
The governor made the announcement Friday as the death toll  at a long-term care facility near Richmond  reached 39 amid the Coronavirus outbreak.
The Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center has 84 other residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are receiving treatment either at a hospital or onsite.
Canterbury has one of the worst-known outbreaks of Coronavirus among long-term care facilities in the U.S. 
Its death toll is approaching that of the Life Care Center of Kirkland, a Seattle-area nursing home that was an early center of the disease.  
Dr. Laurie Forlano, deputy commissioner for public health at the Virginia Department of Health, will  head up the task force on responding to outbreaks at nursing homes and long-term care centers in Virginia.
Forlano said the state has identified 45 outbreaks at long-term care facilities in the state, which makes up about 55 percent of all outbreaks identified in the state.
The state has identified 525 cases among those facilities.
Forlano and the task force will work to ensure long-term care facilities are prioritized and get funding and supplies they need, as well as  vital information.
“They need testing and personal protective equipment and the staffs are overworked,” Northam said.
On Friday, there were   4,509 confirmed Coronavirus cases in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Across the state, 121 people had died. 
Northam also announced  Friday that he is proposing a state budget amendment to give the Virginia Department of Corrections the authority to release inmates who have one year or less remaining in their sentences.
The amendment must be approved by the General Assembly, which meets April 22 for its veto session.
Northam said his amendment would allow corrections officials  to release inmates who don’t pose a threat to public safety and also meet good behavior standards.
Under the amendment, the Department of Corrections would handle re-entry planning for about 2,000 inmates who meet the standard of having a year or less in their sentence.
Under the amendment, the Department of Corrections would handle re-entry planning for about 2,000 inmates who meet the standard of having a year or less in their sentence.
Unemployment claims also continue to increase in Virginia as the COVID-19 pandemic takes its toll on the economy.
Northam said the state received 147,369 new unemployment claims in the first week of April, bringing the total to 306,143 over the last three weeks.
“The health crisis has led to an economic crisis,” he said.
The state has issued  191,000 unemployment checks since the pandemic began, totaling $57 million.
Next week, federal unemployment payments approved by Congress will provide an additional $600 a week to individuals who have lost their jobs.
Northam said persons who are self-employed will be eligible for the federal payments. They must file the claims with the Virginia Employment Commission. 
“This should be a great help to folks who are trying to figure out how to pay rent or buy food,” the governor said.
The VEC has updated its website and hired additional staff to process the expected increase in claims.
Some 75,000 Virginians were denied unemployment in their initial filing.     
Census Update
As the Coronavirus pandemic continues, efforts to get Alleghany Highlands residents to take part in the 2020 U.S. census appear to be paying off.
The Census Bureau says nearly 50 percent of all households in Covington had completed their questionnaires as of April 5, five days after the decennial count of the nation’s population officially began.
Responses can be submitted by mail, by phone or online.
Covington’s 49.8 percent response rate was the highest in the Highlands, followed by Clifton Forge at 47.7 percent and Alleghany County at 45.6 percent. Bath County lagged at 25.5 percent.
The average response rate for Virginia was 51 percent, topping the national average of  45.1 percent. Virginia had the fourth highest response rate in the nation.
Programs that rely on census data for funding include Medicaid, Medicare, senior nutrition programs, food and housing assistance, education and highway construction. The census also determines how many seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representative.
Households that have not   responded by Internet or phone should receive a 2020 Census form in the mail soon.
The Internet response is accessible from any computer device or smart phone.  Visit My2020census.gov (https://my2020census.gov/) and follow instructions.