In today’s subscriber-supported shout-out, the cost of housing continues to be one of the most vexing social issues of our time. What does it take to build new units that can be sold or rented to be people who can’t afford the market rate? This Thursday, the Central Virginia Housing Regional Partnership will hold the second of its spring speaker series at noon with a presentation from William Park, the president of Pinnacle Construction and Development who will go through what it takes to secure financing for such projects. Register here.
On today’s show:
An update from the UVA Health System on the pandemic
Albemarle County Supervisors come closer to matching Governor Northam’s COVID restrictions
Get ready for “ozone forecasting season” which begins on Monday
As of today, more than one in five Virginians is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 according to the latest data from the Virginia Department of Health. The current seven-day average for doses per day is 77,847.
However, that number could drop in the next week as a national reduction of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine means fewer doses will be distributed to all states including Virginia. This past week, the Centers for Disease Control sent out nearly 5 million shots nationwide of the Johnson and Johnson but will only distribute 700,000 this week due to a production error that affected millions of doses. (CDC page)
Dr. Costi Sifri, director of hospital epidemiology at the University of Virginia, said he is watching the issue.
“Any decrement, any reduction in vaccine allocation or vaccine production is unfortunate right now,” Dr. Sifri said. “Certainly this is a complication that none of us are excited to do see.”
However, Dr. Sifri said the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are available.
“We are seeing just a steep ramp up of other vaccines,” Dr. Sifri said. “The messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are being shipped in large quantities and so while it is a stumbling block, we still have a lot of vaccine and we’re moving into Phase 2.”
That means that everyone over the age of 16 in the Blue Ridge Health District can now schedule an appointment for a vaccine.
Dr. Sifri’s comments came at the media briefing on April 9, 2021. He and his colleagues were asked when students would get the vaccine, and whether it would be required before students return in the fall and whether it will be safe for them to do so.
‘I think it’s a little premature to anticipate exactly what the landscape will look like,” Dr. Sifri said. “The first step of course is that everybody has the opportunity to receive a vaccine and we’re in that transition where we are at the precipice of being able to do that and the next two months are really going to be important. Maybe even less that hopefully.”
An open question is whether booster shots will be needed in the future to retain immunity from COVID-19. Dr. Sifri said research indicates the shots last for “a good period of time to come.” But what about a year from now?
“I’ll offer my crystal ball,” Dr. Sifri said. “I do think that there’s two potential needs for a booster shot. One is the potential of waning immunity. As I just said, at six months things look really good and depending on that trajectory, maybe that’s a year, maybe that’s a couple of years. Difficult to say. The second that we’ve often discussed is the rise of variants. If there are variants that are able to get around pre-existing immunity whether it is natural infection or provided by sort of what we call first-generation vaccine, then there may be a need for a booster there. I think with both of those scenarios we would be more likely than less likely a need for a booster at some point.”
Stay tuned.
The number of new COVID cases in Virginia remains relatively high. Today the VDH reports another 1,700 cases. The percent positivity is at 6.1 percent today. The Blue Ridge Health District reports another 26 cases today and the number of deaths in the district is at 211.
Last Monday, Charlottesville City Council held the first of two readings on a proposal to repeal the local COVID ordinance to make Charlottesville’s rules in line with Governor Ralph Northam’s latest executive order. (covered in April 7 edition)
On Wednesday, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors considered whether to amend its ordinance to be more in line the governor. Deputy County Executive Doug Walker explained that Albemarle’s ordinance dates back to last July when there was concern about UVA students returning to the area from all across the country.
“The board adopted its ordinance at the time the state was moving to Phase 3 and the county at the time had an interest in retaining some of the restrictions that applied in Phase 2,” Walker said. “The board did adopt an ordinance to restrict indoor occupancy in establishments that serve food and drink, they capped gathering sizes, and they required face coverings in all public settings.”
This ordinance was readopted several times and amended last November to reflect Virginia’s return to more stringent rules. Albemarle’s ordinance was set to expire on April 7, the day of the most recent Board meeting. Walker said risk for community spread is lower now than it was last July.
“The case counts, incidence rates, and percent positivity rates are at their lowest point since November 2020 and one of the lowest in Virginia,” Walker said.
Albemarle will not repeal its ordinance but adopted one that matches Governor Northam’s Executive Order 72. The only difference is a requirement that anyone who wants to seek an exception to masking requirements must demonstrate a note from a medical doctor. (Albemarle’s COVID ordinance)
Before the vote, Dr. Denise Bonds of the Blue Ridge Health District made the case for increased investments in community health across the entire nation. She said many of her employees have been working long hours for over a year to respond to the COVID-19 emergency.
“It’s really hard to upstaff an organization and be quick and nimble to respond to something,” Dr. Bonds said. “I think if there’s any lesson that can come out of this, it’s that public health needs sustained support, so that we have appropriate resources and staff that are trained and ready to go when the next incident like this occurs.”
Walker agreed that reform of Virginia’s system of health districts will be needed to prepare for the next time around.
“This experience has revealed some of the flaws I believe in our relationship between a state agency operating at a local level and regionally and local government and how important it is that we not only work close together as partners, but that we work together in a much more cohesive, unified, and uniform way,” Walker said. “That’s not the system we have.”
Supervisor Ned Gallaway cautioned against debriefing on the pandemic before it is over.
“At some point we will be there,” Gallaway said. “This will be a massive debrief effort to go back and look at everything.”
In so many many ways, 2021 will be different from 2020. Last year, Albemarle County closed beaches at its parks. This summer, Albemarle County is planning on opening its swimming lakes and is now hiring lifeguards. The position starts at $15 an hour. (apply)
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issues alerts for particulate pollution 12 months out of the year and issues air quality forecasts and alerts. They do the same for ozone from April to September and that will be added to the reports beginning on Monday. Ozone is a colorless gas present in automotive exhaust and industrial emissions that can lead to a variety of responses, particularly in people with asthma.
The DEQ monitors air quality from 36 locations across Virginia. Including a station at Albemarle High School. A press release states ozone pollution has dropped in the decades since it has been monitored.
“In 1993, Virginia experienced a high of 108 high ozone days in at least one locality,” reads the press release. “In 2020, there was only one such high ozone day in Northern Virginia, and none in the rest of the state.”
The DEQ’s Air and Renewable Energy Director attributes the steep decline last year to reduced vehicle travel over the summer.
April 10, 2021: Fewer Johnson & Johnson doses this week; Albemarle updates COVID-19 ordinance