Podcast appearances and mentions of danny avula

Amid another issue with city water, Mayor Danny Avula jumps on with us for a quick conversation about the problem and the progress toward a resolution.

On today's show, we delve into another Richmond water fiasco, discuss international relations, and address the latest news regarding transgender participation in female sports. Our guests are Howard Gutman, Tim Phillips, Danny Avula, Michael Phillips, Bentley Chan, and Jeff Monosso. Enjoy!

Atop the 7 o'clock hour, we check in with Richmond Mayor Danny Avula about this week's controversial developments in the city.

On the show today, we continue to discuss City of Richmond scandals, singer Alan Jackson's retirement (from touring), President Trump's Mideast trip, and weekend events. Our guests are Danny Avula, Tonya J. Powers, Reva Trammell, George Allen, and Dave Saunders. Enjoy!

Richmond Mayor Danny Avula joins the show to discuss the Diamond District project's groundbreaking.

In our second hour, Rich chats with Richmond Mayor, Dr. Danny Avula, about the Diamond District's groundbreaking -- and his first budget for the city.

On today's show, Rich, Gary, and Dan discuss -- among other things -- the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. Our guests are Richmond Mayor Dr. Danny Avula, Diamond District developer Jason Guillot, former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator George Allen, and Dave Saunders from Madison+Main PR firm. Enjoy!

Checking in With MAYOR DANNY AVULA full 847 Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:02:00 +0000 WfrmWFAz1YTIs9m3gNhRAGoKJt7qLvQ5 news Richmond's Morning News news Checking in With MAYOR DANNY AVULA On Richmond's Morning News our team discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%

Plus: Applications for the Richmond Health Equity Fund are now open; Chesterfield's Southside Speedway could be racing again over the next few years; Charlottesville's newest historical marker unveiled; and other stories.  

Richmond Mayor DANNY AVULA Joins the Show! full 857 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:03:00 +0000 enufO6ANTEA84jjP9Etj1j0tt2jgzyqj news Richmond's Morning News news Richmond Mayor DANNY AVULA Joins the Show! On Richmond's Morning News our team discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=h

Richmond is stepping into a new era of leadership, and with that comes the responsibility to tackle tough conversations head-on. In this episode, I sit down with our newly elected Mayor, Dr. Danny Avula, to discuss the Richmond water crisis—an issue that has tested our city's resilience and demanded urgent action. As someone deeply rooted in healthcare and community advocacy, I understand the ripple effects a crisis like this can have on public well-being. But here's the reality: stories like these don't always get the depth they deserve in mainstream media. That's why we're here—to go beyond the headlines and uncover the truth behind the issues that matter most to our communities. So, let's get into it. No filters. No fluff. Just the real conversation Richmond needs right now.

A City Update from MAYOR DANNY AVULA full 850 Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:01:00 +0000 3uKIROFa1IIhf1TA4FjhRMCkVO3j5AI8 news Richmond's Morning News news A City Update from MAYOR DANNY AVULA On Richmond's Morning News our team discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3

How Well Has Danny Avula Managed the Water Crisis? (Hour 3) full 1884 Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:06:00 +0000 EydLstzjqEytrsUUrz7Wek4XklTluSye news Richmond's Morning News with John Reid news How Well Has Danny Avula Managed the Water Crisis? (Hour 3) On Richmond's Morning News, John Reid discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcastin

Richmond is kicking off the new year with a fresh vision as Dr. Danny Avula is sworn in as the Mayor of Richmond on January 1, 2025. Just days before officially taking office, Mayor Avula sat down with hosts Scott and Robey to delve into a variety of topics centered around the vibrant restaurant scene in Richmond. In this episode, Mayor Avula reflects on how food and family meals shaped his upbringing and shares his hopes toward fostering a strong partnership between City Hall and local restaurants. Plus, we put him on the spot to reveal his favorite dining spots in both Richmond and its surrounding suburbs. We want to hear from you! Email the show with your thoughts and suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover in 2025. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes content!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plus: Virginia's elected officials are considering how to build out enough solar energy and storage to meet the state's rapidly growing needs; $14.4 million will help protect 28 sites across the state; a family of piglets celebrates their first birthday in Glen Allen; and other stories.

Mayor-Elect DR. DANNY AVULA Discusses His Forthcoming Role full 964 Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:02:00 +0000 2y0DfL8tEfDz0nQNc7WGBXIj6HZrXbMB news Richmond's Morning News with John Reid news Mayor-Elect DR. DANNY AVULA Discusses His Forthcoming Role On Richmond's Morning News, John Reid discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting

Today's top audio stories include Richmond Mayor-elect Danny Avula selects transition team members; What motivated Virginia's Latino voters at the polls?; GOP primary in Virginia's 10th Senate District; Henrico supervisors OK purchase of about 18 acres for new firehouse and training area.   

Likely Richmond Mayor-elect Danny Avula and current Mayor Levar Stoney held a joint press conference about the transition; VPM News spoke with University of Richmond Law professor Hank Chambers about the recent Virginia voter purge as part of Election Day special coverage; and other Central Virginia news. 

Mayoral "Week" Resumes With DR. DANNY AVULA full 835 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:02:00 +0000 IYte92jifKCBOJdMNg7wJTdXWoSTKi3p news Richmond's Morning News with John Reid news Mayoral "Week" Resumes With DR. DANNY AVULA On Richmond's Morning News, John Reid discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=

Why Did Danny Avula Cancel His Interview? (Hour 3) full 1755 Wed, 25 Sep 2024 15:05:00 +0000 k2sjKuQtRXwdGgjrFlDOt0PqbuOokMk3 news Richmond's Morning News with John Reid news Why Did Danny Avula Cancel His Interview? (Hour 3) On Richmond's Morning News, John Reid discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Danny Avula Cancels on RMN (Hour 1) full 1742 Wed, 25 Sep 2024 15:07:00 +0000 eb2NjClpv3SDNy1ADpih6rOJSe6lZT3U news Richmond's Morning News with John Reid news Danny Avula Cancels on RMN (Hour 1) On Richmond's Morning News, John Reid discusses the top stories of the day from around the world, nationally, in Virginia, and right here in the Richmond area.  Listen to news you can use, newsmakers, and analysis of what's happening every weekday from 5:30 to 10:00 AM on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM!   2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Dr. Danny Avula, a prominent public health leader, pediatrician, and dedicated Richmonder, recently made a guest appearance on the popular Randy Wilson Podcast. Throughout his more than two decades of service, Dr. Avula has been a tireless advocate for a healthy and prosperous Richmond. His insightful discussion on the podcast sheds light on his vision for the city's future. Tune in to the podcast to hear Dr. Avula's perspectives on building a thriving Richmond.

When looking at public health and health outcomes, there are few better sources to consult than data. Data that can show life expediencies and allow public health practitioners to determine what is driving those outcomes. Dr. Danny Avula, Commissioner of Virginia's Department of Social Services, joins Kelli and Michael Paul to share what he's learning and sees in Richmond, Virginia, and across the country as being contributors to health outcomes, health practices, and contributors in communities of color.Support the show: https://richmond.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In early 2021, Virginia's governor tapped Richmond's public health director Dr. Danny Avula to be the State Vaccine Coordinator. Avula talks with Josh Sharfstein about this massive undertaking, including the biggest challenges and biggest successes along the way.

Dr. Danny Avula Virginia Department of Health 11-5-21 COVID-19 Vaccination for Children

This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features an interview with Dr. Danny Avula, the Director of the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Districts and Virginia's State Vaccine Coordinator, for a conversation about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and vaccination efforts. Send questions, comments, or feedback to pcfpodcast@vhha.com or contact us on Twitter or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

With school starting in many states around the country, a lot of parents are wondering if it's safe for their kids to be back in public school especially with the prevalence of the Delta Variant. We talk with Dr. Danny Avula this week to answer many of your COVID-19 questions about this. Dr. Avula is the Virginia State Vaccination Coordinator, as well as, a practicing pediatrician so if anyone can answer these questions it's definitely him! We also talk about why kids have been relatively sparred from high rates of covid and whether or not he expects that to change. Then we discuss the important role of the church in promoting vaccinations. As a practicing Christian, Dr. Avula has some thoughts on this as well!Guest Bio:Dr. Danny Avula is Director of the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Departments. He is a public health physician board certified in pediatrics and preventive medicine, and he continues to practice clinically as a pediatric hospitalist. After graduating from the University of Virginia, he attended the VCU School of Medicine, and completed residencies at VCU and Johns Hopkins University, where he also received a Master's in Public Health. He is an Affiliate Faculty member at VCU, where he regularly serves as an advisor and preceptor to graduate and medical students.Governor McAuliffe appointed Dr. Avula to the State Board of Social Services in 2013 and he served as Board Chair from 2017 to 2019. He is the Immediate Past Chair of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, and serves on several other community boards. He has been named one of Richmond's "Top Docs" every year from 2013-2019. He is a recent recipient of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Community's Humanitarian Award, and in 2019, he was a Richmond Times Dispatch ‘Person of the Year' honoree.At home, Danny devotes his time to life with his wife and five kids, and to learning how to be a good neighbor in the rapidly changing community of Church Hill, where he has lived for the past fifteen years. His work has been featured nationally by the CDC, The New York Times, NPR, PBS Newshour, Christianity Today, and MSNBC.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/faithpolitics)

In today’s Substack-fueled shout-out, Code for Charlottesville is seeking volunteers with tech, data, design, and research skills to work on community service projects. Founded in September 2019, Code for Charlottesville has worked on projects with the Legal Aid Justice Center, the Charlottesville Fire Department, and the Charlottesville Office of Human Rights. Visit the Code for Charlottesville website to learn more, including details on projects that are underway.On today’s show: A demographer at the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia is concerned about the accuracy of the 2020 CensusUpdates from the Places29-Hydraulic Community Advisory CommitteeDr. Danny Avula gives a press briefing on planning for booster shots this fall Charlottesville Police Chief blasts police group’s concerns about her leadershipIn July, the Virginia Department of Health stopped releasing COVID data on the weekends, so today we’ll begin with the seven-day average yesterday of 2,322 and the percent positivity increased to 9.1 percent. There have been 156 deaths from COVID in Virginia since July 21. As of yesterday, two-thirds of adult Virginians are fully vaccinated and the seven-day average of shots per day is 14,581. That’s around the same number as last week. The VDH usually updates its dashboard measuring the percentage of new COVID cases by vaccination status on Fridays, but that did not occur yesterday. On August 19, there were over 141,000 new cases nationwide, around the same rate as in mid November. The winter surge peaked at around 250,000 cases a day the week of early January. There is growing concern about the ability of the delta variant to infect the vaccinated, but also concern that vaccinated individuals who got either the Pfizer or the Moderna mRNA shot may need a booster. Dr. Danny Avula is overseeing the Virginia Department of Health’s vaccine programs. (read transcript of 8/19 briefing) (listen to full briefing)“Overtime, vaccine efficacy starts to decrease, [but] vaccine efficacy is still very strong against hospitalizations and deaths, and we are starting to see decreased effectiveness against the Delta variant,” Dr. Avula said.This week, the first third shots have been given to immunocompromised individuals. September 20 is the target date set by federal officials for the roll-out of booster shots for the general population. That depends on approval from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the overall Centers for Disease Control. But, the general parameters of how it would work are becoming known. “You will be eligible for a booster shot eight months after your second dose of your mRNA vaccine,” Dr. Avula said.The details for those who got the Johnson and Johnson are not yet known because research is still inconclusive, but Dr. Avula said the CDC hopes a solution will be worked out by September 20. Dr. Avula also said he’s been told by federal officials that there will be enough supply. “There is enough vaccine for a third dose for every American and we just need to remember that this means this will be a very different scenario from what we working with from December to March,” Dr. Avula said.Meanwhile, Ting Pavilion has joined a growing list of venues that will now require proof of vaccination for admittance. Many restaurants and businesses have begun to require them as well. The summer pandemic surge has put a pause on the preparations for the possibility of in-person public meetings in Albemarle. Emily Kilroy is the county’s director of communications and public engagement. “We’ve done all in-person for many years,” Kilroy said. “We pivoted very quickly to all virtual, but what does it look as we return to normal? There has been a lot of work leading up to that next phase of public meetings, and that work has put on hold just given the CDC’s substantial transmission rate that they have labeled Albemarle County as having.”Kilroy said there are many in the community who would not feel safe sitting in a closed room with other people. She made her comments at the virtual meeting of the Places29-Hydraulic Community Advisory Committee, which we’ll hear more about in the future. A dispute in Charlottesville’s Police Department became more public Friday afternoon when the city of Charlottesville released a statement responding to a letter from the Central Virginia chapter of the Virginia Police Benevolent Association. The August 10 letter from chapter president Michael Wells stated that Charlottesville police officers have lost confidence in Police Chief RaShall Brackney due to recent rule changes and policy changes regarding internal investigations and states that have not been fully explained. The letter states a PBA survey of officers captures this spirit and asks for a meeting with Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker and others to remedy the situation. The city’s response is in an unsigned 14-paragraph statement, the first paragraph of which announces that members of the city's SWAT team have been terminated for alleged behaviors that are described in detail in the 9th and 10th paragraphs. The statement describes steps Brackney has taken since becoming chief in June 2018. “Chief Brackney was tasked with updating and reforming how police services are provided within the City of Charlottesville, as well as working to bridge a divide between the city’s citizens, especially African American residents, and law enforcement,” the statement continues. The statement describes how Brackney is seeking to change a “warrior mentality” in the police department. The statement cites a video sent to Brackney by a member of the public which allegedly shows a police corporal making comments captured by a city-owned phone. "The video contained profanity and language indicative of the very subculture of aggression that Chief Brackney is committed to eradicating from Charlottesville policing," the statement continued. The statement goes on to give Chief Brackney's account of the disciplinary action that followed, and concludes with accusations against the PBA for interfering in the process. For more on the story: Read the story in the Daily Progress from reporters Katherine Knott and Allison Wrabel Read the statementWatch the August 12 Police Civilian Review Board meetingThe county’s seven community advisory committees are intended to be monthly forums to help Albemarle staff and elected officials implement the seven areas designated for growth. They’re also places where one can learn information about developments that are underway. County planner Michaela Accardi provided an update at this past week’s meeting. (download the presentation)“The first project I’ll talk about is the Hydraulic and Georgetown office building,” Accardi said. The Albemarle Board of Supervisors granted a rezoning for the project back in 2008 to clear the way for offices. The project was dormant for many years, but a site plan was approved last October and construction on the one-acre site is underway. “The applicant is in the process of undergoing utility improvements on the site so you might see some work over there,” Accardi said. A new 60,000 square foot Boys and Girls Club on school property at the Lambs Lane campus is in the planning phases and requires a special use permit to allow for a Community Center. Accardi said a vote on that permit is currently in deferral, even though the final site plan is under review. “This is a little bit of an untraditional, nontraditional approach where the site plan is under review because this building can exist on this site as a school use,” Accardi said. Groundbreaking is slated for August 28, according to Jack Jouett District Supervisor Diantha McKeel. Another project that has been deferred is a residential one called Arbor Oaks Townes in which an applicant is seeking a rezoning for one acre of land on Hydraulic Road from R-4 to R-15. A community meeting was held in October, but the 14-unit project is on hold indefinitely. One project that is moving forward is the Premier Circle project which will see up to 140 units dedicated to households and individuals with very low and extremely low incomes. Piedmont Housing Alliance, Virginia Supportive Housing, and the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless are the entities behind the project. “The rezoning was approved by the Board of Supervisors and we haven’t had any further plans submitted at this time,” Accardi said. There was also an update from Samantha Strong, the manager of Stonefield. The former Pier One Space is being subdivided into three spaces, one of which will be the first Virginia location of the Torchy’s Tacos chains. “The middle space is under negotiations and I’m actually expecting that before the month is out we’ll have that lease signed,” Strong said. “The third space is also in the early stages of negotiation.”Elsewhere in Stonefield, there’s a lease signed for another chain eatery called Organic Krush.“We’re really excited because it’s going to bring cold-pressed juices, whole fruit smoothies, it’s very all-natural, very healthy, bold, different things like that,” Strong said. Strong said the pandemic has not affected vacancy rates on the retail side of Stonefield. “We are very close to being at 100 percent occupancy which has not happened at Stonefield before,” Strong said. Strong said the space formerly occupied by an Italian restaurant may become an event space, citing a need for such places in the community. You’re reading Charlottesville Community Engagement and it’s time now for another reader-supported announcement. The nonprofit group Resilient Virginia works to inform decision makers and officials about how to prepare for a changing world. They’re holding their annual event virtually this year, and registration prices go up at the end of this week. The Resilient Recovery Conference will take place the mornings of August 25, August 26, and August 27. Take a look at the details of the event as well as pricing at resilientvirginia.org. Earlier this month, t he U.S. Census Data released more of the results of the 2020 count, with numbers on population, housing units, and demographics. The official Charlottesville population is 46,553, or a 7.1 percent increase over the 2010 count. Albemarle’s official population increased 13.6 percent to 112,395. The count began on April 1, 2020, after most higher education facilities shut down at the beginning of the pandemic.  Each year, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia produces population estimates for use by the state government to help allocate funds for various programs and government services. Their 2020 estimate for Charlottesville was 49,447, nearly three thousand more than the official count. (2020 Weldon Cooper estimates)Hamilton Lombard is a research specialist who combs through building permits and other sources to come up with the estimates. I spoke with him this week to ask about the discrepancy between the official count and the higher numbers from Weldon Cooper. “When you look at the Charlottesville region as a whole, we’ve had remarkably steady growth decade after decade,” Lombard said. “This decade wasn’t really very different. Where the growth happened shifted a little bit. First half of the decade we had fairly strong growth in the city. It seemed to slow down maybe even slightly reverse in the second half of the decade just because there was a lot of less development going on in the city.” Lombard said he thinks the county in Charlottesville is inaccurate based on a review of individual tracts. “I think most college students on campuses were counted correctly, but ones off campus were not typically,” Lombard said. “If you look at the Census block over near the Corner that has the GrandMarc apartment complex, in 2010 the Census count is 796 residents. In 2020, the count is 348. There are probably multiple cases like that.”In 2006, Charlottesville successfully challenged the Census Bureau’s 2005 estimates, which slowed a decline of around 4,000. I’ve got questions out to the city to see if they plan a dispute this time around. (Listen to a 2006 radio story I produced on this topic) For the rest of this interview, you’ll have to listen to the podcast for the details. Thanks for reading! Did you know that if you sign up for a paid subscription, Ting will match the amount! So, for $5 a month, $50 a year, or $200 a year, Ting will make a contribution to support this independent production and keep me in the business of tracking as many pieces of the puzzle as I can. And, please share with people you think would like to know more about what’s happening in the community. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Good morning, RVA! It's 72 °F, and you can probably guess today's weather forecast: More highs in the 90s with triple-digit Feels Likes. Cooler temperatures move in tomorrow afternoon, though! A reprieve is in sight!Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as: 165, 8, and 6.4, respectively. VDH reports a seven-day average of 14.4 new cases in and around Richmond (Richmond: 0; Henrico: 11.9, and Chesterfield: 2.6). Since this pandemic began, 1,359 people have died in the Richmond region. 46.6%, 58.3%, and 54.9% of the population in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.The conversation and coverage of the deltavariant and WHO's recent decision to recommend that fully-vaccinated people wear masks indoors continues. The timing is particularly noteworthy, as the Governor's state of emergency ends tonight, which, technically, makes wearing a mask in Virginia (to conceal one's identity) illegal. Sabrina Moreno at the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports on a bunch of local folks' thoughts and recommendations which basically boil down to “we need to learn more, but, in the meantime you should definitely get vaccinated.” Alan Rodriguez at VPM has some quotes from Dr. Danny Avula on the subject, too: “I think the context domestically — given our much higher rates of vaccination than many countries because of access and the efforts people have made to get vaccinated, paired with relatively low, or extremely low, rates of COVID — I think we can still cling to the guidance of: If you're fully vaccinated, you do not need to wear a mask.”How cool are these massive banners hanging up on City Hall (pictured below)?? They're part of a collaboration between Performing Statistics and RISE for Youth: “The installation features two, 160ft. tall portraits of Ta'Dreama McBride and Clyde Walker made in collaboration with artist and Performing Statistics creative director Mark Strandquist. They will be installed on the north and west-facing sides of the City Hall building. McBride and Walker are both youth leaders from RISE for Youth, a state campaign that promotes the creation of healthy communities and community-based alternatives to youth incarceration.” Performing Statistics will host an unveiling and rally tomorrow at 12:00 PM at City Hall, if you want to get up close and personal with the banners. Although, at 160 feet, you can see these things from alllll sorts of places! So cool.I'm way out of the loop on the conversations around setting up our regional transportation authority, but I was poking around on the CVTA's website this morning and found this draft document of Recommended Project Eligibility for CVTA Regional Funding. I assume this is how the CVTA will decide which projects are eligible for their “regional” bucket of money, which makes up 35% of the total. You can see, just from word count alone, where this document's priorities lie: Highways, highways, highways. I don't know why any transportation authority, in 2021, is considering building new highways, but sure. It was 120 °F in Portland this week, but, yes, let's build highways to encourage development patterns that will significantly contribute to climate change. While I don't think that any new highways or highway expansions should be eligible for this money at all, I do hope that there are at least plans for the Authority to include climate impact as part of their eventual project-ranking process. But, like I said, I am way out of the loop and will try to dig through some of these PDFs to learn more.The Richmond Times-Dispatch's Colleen Curran has all the details on the VMFA's recently announced $190 million, 100,000-square-foot expansion. It all sounds very impressive. Because I am an old person, I feel like the VMFA just wrapped up their last massive expansion, but that was, in fact, 11 years ago. “The new expansion will add a new 100,000-square-foot, five-story wing for African art, photography and 21st-century art off of the existing Mellon and Lewis Wing,” plus new special exhibition space and special events space.Via /r/rva, this list of seven booze-related laws that go into effect tomorrow (alongside the legalization of marijuana). I had no idea that the cocktails to go legislation got extended for at least another year. My household is excited to celebrate continued cheap margaritas with takeout Mexican food!This morning's longreadAirbnb Is Spending Millions of Dollars to Make Nightmares Go AwayAll sorts of trigger warnings for this piece about how Airbnb deals with sexual assaults and other horrible things that happen on their hosts' property. How companies handle “risk” is fascinating to me.Although the settlement doesn't bar the woman from cooperating with prosecutors, it does prevent her from blaming or suing the company. That was especially important for Airbnb because the woman wasn't the one who'd rented the apartment, so she hadn't signed the company's 10,000-word terms of service agreement—another important way Airbnb keeps incidents out of court and out of the public eye. Anyone registering on the site is required to sign this agreement, which bars legal claims for injury or stress arising from a stay and requires confidential arbitration in the event of a dispute. Former safety agents estimate the company handles thousands of allegations of sexual assault every year, many involving rape. Yet only one case related to a sexual assault has been filed against Airbnb in U.S. courts, according to a review of electronically available state and federal lawsuits. Victims' lawyers say the terms of service are an important reason.If you'd like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol' Patreon.Picture of the DayPhoto via Performing Statistics.

Virginia students 12 and older might have the chance to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in their schools before the school year ends in June. That’s according to state vaccination coordinator Danny Avula, who said during a call with state media members Friday that he and other officials will be meeting with the state’s school superintendents next week to discuss the possibility. Emergency use authorization that would permit the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to children and teens 12 to 16 is expected as soon as mid-May, according to Avula. That same authorization could come shortly thereafter for the Moderna vaccine, he...Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

Good morning, RVA! It’s 41 °F, and today looks wonderful. Expect sunshine, highs right around 70 °F, and even warmer temperatures over the next few days.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 884 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 16 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 112 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 50, Henrico: 51, and Richmond: 11). Since this pandemic began, 1,268 people have died in the Richmond region. The seven-day average of new reported cases across the state sits at 1,154, which is certainly a precipitous drop! Is this vaccines?? If so, great, because according to a new dashboard released by VDH, 81.8% of all COVID-19 cases in Virginia are now the B.1.1.7 variant. I don’t think I know enough about each individual variant to distinguish between the five of them currently tracked by that dashboard, and I hope I never need to!Over in vaccine world, I’ve got this week’s graph of statewide vaccine doses administered alongside Virginia’s total vaccine supply. Both numbers took a hit last week, which maybe we can blame on the J&J pause. Or, maybe, we’ve already vaccinated most of the folks who really, really want to be vaccinated? Here’s a new chart showing the number of new people each day in Virginia that have at least one dose of the vaccine. That number peaked in the beginning of April and has slowly decreased since then—no appreciable spike even after all Virginians became eligible on April 18th. Locally, though, we’re still steadily marching towards the goal of having 75% of our population vaccinated. As of yesterday (and barring typos), 376,205 people in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield had at least one dose. That’s 55.3% of the regional goal!Over the weekend the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be unpaused and cleared for use by all adults. The CDC, FDA, and then VDH, all followed that guidance and lifted their pause as well, with Dr. Danny Avula saying, “The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will follow that guidance and instruct providers across the Commonwealth that they are free to resume administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine immediately.”The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Kenya Hunter reports on this past week’s protest at City Hall over the RPS School Board’s decision to take over procurement and construction of their school buildings. That decision might delay the construction of a replacement for George Wythe High School and the Wythe community, including current students, are not pleased. I still don’t see a great way out of this morass, but I am appreciative that the Superintendent is moving as quickly as he can given what’s been asked of him.I’ve got a jumbled mass of small-but-interesting City Council updates for you to parse through. First, I got the fifth Council budget work session and first amendment work session posted to The Boring Show. As promised, the amendment work sessions is very interesting and worth your time. Two main themes I see emerging from Council’s conversations as they try to advance their priorities within a very tight financial window: The Affordable Housing Trust Fund needs more cash and the Gallagher compensation study for City employees (which I’d do an entire post on if I had a second) is a huge priority for the Mayor but less directly so for some members of Council. Additionally/interestingly, the coming American Rescue Plan funds, possibly over $100 million, loom quietly over this entire discussion. Personal opinion, but I wouldn’t count on ARP money to fund any specific thing until we know exactly what it can and cannot be used for. Second, Council will meet today for their second amendment work session, an informal session, and a regular session. The informal session in particular has a pretty interesting agenda, with plans to discuss the American Rescue Plan funds, recruiting a new city attorney, and the “Monuments Disposition and Collaborative Process Update.” Finally, Council will meet tonight for their regular meeting, and you can find their full agenda here. Of note to readers of this email, ORD. 2021–078, which will accept money for the red pulse lanes. Also interesting, ORD. 2021–088, which accepts $90,000 of coffee and cookies from Aramark Services, Inc. for Department of Fire and Emergency Services personnel. How much coffee and cookies is $90,000 dollars worth, I wonder.Now that the first wave of Richmond’s parklets are up and running, Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense has pictures of each! Whoa, look at that one out front of Nile in Church Hill—now that’s what I’m talking about. Plants everywhere! I have to believe that now folks can see a parklet with their own eyes, they’re much more likely to advocate for one in their neighborhood.This morning’s longreadWhat happened to the dining room table?This is probably a too-long piece about this history and transformation of the dining room, but, guess, what? Fascinating!My mom is selling our dining room table. I’ve only eaten at it a handful of times in my life because my sisters and I surely would’ve made a mess of it when we were kids. Instead, our family ate in the kitchen, which also doubled as a place to do homework, or to watch something on TV when the living room wasn’t the right vibe. Over the years, our dining table became a dumping ground for assorted crap: bills, flyers from school, Amazon packages. What was the point anymore?If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.Picture of the DayA golden-hour picture of my garbage bike.

An announcement that the state of Virginia will follow guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and pause use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine won’t impact many Henricoans, at least initially. In a statement early Tuesday, FDA officials recommended the pause “out of an abundance of caution” while they investigate six cases of rare blood clots in women who received the vaccine. The women, between the ages of 18 and 48, developed the clots between 6 and 13 days after receiving the vaccine. One (possibly a Virginia resident, according to state vaccination coordinator Danny Avula) died, and...Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

Today’s anonymous support comes from something we’ll call the Valley Research Center and thanks to a generous contribution that provides much of the bumper music you’re hearing on the program. This came in the form of a donation through the Zelle platform, and I am grateful for the support. On today’s show:Blue Ridge Health District opens up Phase1C  The latest from UVA Health System on the pandemicVirginia’s vaccine coordinator provides an update on Johnson and Johnson supply, which may be affected by a mixing error On Thursday, the Blue Ridge Health District held another press briefing to explain how things would work as another phase of the vaccination schedule opens up. But first, policy and operations director Ryan McKay gave some context on recent history,“It’s been really just over three months, maybe three and a half months, since the vaccination campaign began first with our health care systems in the health district and then in January when we began as a health district really vaccinating in earnest members of the community in Phase 1A,” McKay said. As of March 31, BRHD had administered 135,000 doses in the six localities under its jurisdiction, with nearly 50,000 fully vaccinated. “We do know that there is approximately 200,000 to 205,000 individuals 16 and above who technically will be eligible at some point to get vaccinated so we still have a ways to go,” McKay said. Source: Blue Ridge Health DistrictMcKay said that a “significant increase” in doses was due to hit the district in April. A slide in the presentation listed about 14,620 first doses of both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines would be available the week of April 5. “I think our increase is a little bit more than we had anticipated,” McKay said. McKay said 4,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson and Johnson would be administered on Friday and Monday at the former J.C. Penney location.“So we’re beginning to see that significant increase that we need in order to move more quickly in the vaccination campaign,” McKay said. On Thursday, the Blue Ridge Health District opened up to Phase1C. Kathryn Goodman is the communication manager for BRHD. “We are opening up to Phase1C,” Goodman said. “We want to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to schedule appointments and so the VAMS system has many appointments available over the next two months. There are plenty of appointments that we we want people to get in there and schedule.” Governor Ralph Northam said vaccinations will be open to everyone beginning on April 18, but for now, it’s the turn for Phase1C.“The Blue Ridge Health District has officially launched today into Phase1C of our vaccine distribution,” Goodman said. “This includes everyone you can see here, everyone from restaurant workers to finance workers and other public figures, public works individuals who are really important to keep our community operating.” Indulge me for a moment as I peel pack the fourth wall a little. About half an hour before the briefing began, I got an email from the Centers for Disease Control saying it was my time to schedule an appointment. I pre-registered with the Virginia Department of Health a few weeks ago. I asked probably one of the most personal questions I’ve ever asked as a reporter.“Sean Tubbs, you are on with the Blue Ridge Health district,” said Lachen Parks, Charlottesville’s marketing and social media coordinator.“Something strange just happened,” I said. “I just got a notification from VAMS at 1:30 p.m. I am not in a priority category. I now have an appointment for tomorrow at Fashion Square Mall. How did that happen?”“So, all of the appointments that we’re pulling right now are based off of prioritization on either Phase1A, 1B, or 1C, so it is likely that somehow in the information you shared you fell into one of those categories. Media do fall into phase 1C so if you indicated that as an option that would be why. But we haven’t sent it out to everybody just yet that’s preregistered.” Goodman said the Health District would be sending out notifications over the next week. “We are working weekends at this point so we will certainly send invitation out tomorrow and over the weekend so if individuals in 1C don’t hear from us by mid to late next week, they should email us or give us a call and we will help them schedule an appointment,” Goodman said. If you have not registered yet and you want a vaccine through the Health District, register now.  Phase 2 opens up on April 18. “That’s going to be way we know that individuals want to get vaccinated and how we would send you the invitation to create the account in VAMS and then to schedule the appointment,” McKay said.  (watch the BRHD briefing) The following day, the University of Virginia Health System held its weekly briefing for the press. Depending on supply, the Seminole Square Shopping Center is also ready to get shots in arms. Dr. Costi Sifri is the director of hospital epidemiology. “At full operation, we can vaccinate on the order of 14,000 to 15,000 people per week just at our Seminole Square location,” Dr. Sifri said. He added the influx of new Johnson and Johnson doses will allow that number to be realized. “We are hearing about and are anticipating increase allocations from federal sources so we are looking at expanding our days of operation at Seminole Square,” Dr. Sifri said. One of the issues with moving rapidly to mass vaccination has been uncertainties in the supply lines for vaccines. Dr. Sifri said it has so far been difficult to schedule appointments several weeks into the future not quite knowing what the supply will be. “It’s very difficult to do that two or three weeks from today because we don’t exactly know how much vaccine we’ll have on hand,” Dr. Sifri said. “However, I think we’re pretty confident at this point. We’re not 100 percent confident. But we’re pretty confident we’re going to be able to open up appointments that are going to occur later, several weeks, three or four weeks in the future compared to what we’ve been doing in the past. There were some weeks that we had no new first dose vaccines. The supply to us was zero for a week. I think we’re past that point and we can become a little more liberal and I think that will help everybody. It will help us with our planning and it will certainly help people to be able to get their vaccines scheduled.” Yesterday, the number of doses administered in the Commonwealth crossed the 4 million mark as reported by the Virginia Department of Health. The seven-day average is now 73,218 doses administered per day. “We’re reaching a point where 35 to 50 percent of individuals have at least some level if not a high level of immunity to COVID-19, so we’re making some progress,” said Dr. Sifri. “However that does mean we still have something on the order of half the population that remains susceptible to COVID infection and its serious consequences.” Source: Virginia Department of HealthOne of the big questions is whether enough people will get vaccinated quick enough to avoid another surge. The number of new cases reported each day is still quite high, with a seven-day average of 1,415 a day. Today the seven-day percent positivity continued its gradual climb and is at 6.4 percent. That metric was 5.7 percent a week ago.  Dr. Sifri said now is not the time to stop wearing masks and following all of the other mitigation steps. “I am concerned about a fourth wave,” Dr. Sifti. “There are places in the U.S. in Michigan around Detroit and the New York City area where we are seeing increased case counts and those have been trending up for the last three or four weeks so that is a concern. The second issue is that we’re seeing in Europe some significant increases in cases in different countries of Europe. I don’t think we should anticipate that spring is going to be a respite from this. It certainly wasn’t a respite last year where we saw a significant wave of infection that occurred in April and May of last year. There’s no reason to think that couldn’t occur now.”On Friday, UVA President Jim Ryan announced that Final Exercises will be held in a modified manner on May 20. “All graduating students will have the opportunity to walk the Lawn and process to Scott Stadium for their ceremony,” Ryan wrote in a posting on the Major Events website. “Each graduate will be permitted two guests in Scott Stadium.” Ryan said students who graduated from the Class of 2020 will also have an opportunity to walk the Lawn in a special ceremony on May 16. A year ago, none of these events were happening. Dr. Sifri said as long as mitigation measures are taken, he is okay with Final Exercises proceeding. “Which are going to be things like social distancing and wearing masks and limiting gathering sizes that we should be able to provide graduation and it should be a great experience,” Dr. Sifri said. “If the weather will allow,  graduations occur outside. They occur with close families that are together. If you limit the size of groups and have social distancing and can do things outdoors, which allow things like the virus to disperse. And finally, as much as possible, have people vaccinated.” I’m one of those people who is now vaccinated. Knowing I would be getting my dose a few hours after the UVA briefing, I asked what side effects might happen with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. “They’re actually not too bad,” Dr. Sifri said. “It’s going to be for the most part local pain and discomfort at the injection site and some fatigue and perhaps some low-grade fever for up tp several days afterward.”As I record this, it’s been just over 24 hours. I woke up in the middle of night with chills, a few digestion issues, and fatigue. I’ve slept on and off today, but for the most part, I feel okay. Still reeling from the new information and wondering what this all means for our future. However, it’s important to not get too far ahead of ourselves. At the time I was getting my shot, Virginia vaccine coordinator Dr. Danny Avula was giving his own briefing, and there may be an issue with further Johnson and Johnson supply making its way into the logistics chain. (Baltimore Sun article)“We are waiting to hear the impact of the news from the Johnson and Johnson production plant up in Baltimore on Wednesday,” Dr. Avula said. “Fifteen million doses were sequestered as a result of poor mixing and so I think those doses will be completely taken offline which means that the future delivery schedule is a bit up in the air. It does appear that our doses that are coming next week will still be coming which is good news because that’s over 200,000 doses that we were expecting and that we had ordered and will be coming in next week. I don’t yet know what that will mean for future weeks but we are eagerly anticipating updates from the federal government about Johnson and Johnson’s production schedule.”Dr. Avula said the goal is for Virginia to have 125,000 Johnson and Johnson doses per week. Beginning tomorrow, April 4, health districts across Virginia have permission to move into Phase 2.  That doesn’t necessarily mean people will get appointments right away.“That means open eligibility, it does not mean open pods,” Dr. Avula said. “People won’t be showing up for walk-in pods but it does mean that people will be open to openly self-schedule into appointments regardless of any eligibility criteria.”To be clear, Phase 2 will be open to everyone over the age of 16. Testing is still underway for vaccines in children. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s subscriber-sponsored public service announcement, the Albemarle County Solid Waste Alternatives Committee, or SWAAC, wants you to join the effort to clear up litter from the landscape as part of the Keep Virginia Beautiful initiative. SWAAC wants you to put on some gloves, grab a bag, take a walk, and pick up items that people have discarded. When you’re done, they want you to tell them how much you picked up, and where. Visit keepvirginiabeautiful.org to help SWAAC and other groups across the Commonwealth better address litter in our community.  In today’s show:Highlights from Governor Ralph Northam’s March 23 press conferenceThe Blue Ridge Health District explains why they don’t want you to travel to another one for a doseMore information from the University of Virginia Health System Today’s show focuses solely on the pandemic, and where we are as we continue through the 13th month of this experience. On Tuesday, Governor Ralph Northam announced the easing of some restrictions on human gatherings. (watch on YouTube)“I’m optimistic about our numbers in Virginia,” Northam said.Today the Virginia Department of Health reported 1,799 new cases of COVID-19, and the seven-day average for new cases is 1,411. The seven-day average for positive new tests is 5.6 percent, which is where it’s been for the last three weeks. In Virginia, 14.2 percent of the population if fully vaccinated. Northam and First Lady Pam Northam are among that number, having received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine earlier this month.“We were vaccinated a week ago Monday and we’re feeling great,” Northam said. “It’s exciting that our country now has three safe and effective vaccines and as we know, more may be coming.” Northam said the federal government is increasing supply of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and more doses are on the way. On Tuesday he said mass vaccination centers have entered operations across the state, including one in Danville that we’ll hear about later in the program. Northam touted their efficiency. “If you’ve seen one of these mass clinics, you’ve probably been amazed at how well they’re run,” Northam said. “People guiding you where to park, where to check in, where to go next. The clinics I have seen and heard about have been well-oiled machines, and that is all do the hard work of thousands of people determined to get their fellow Virginians vaccinated as quickly as possible.” Northam said Virginia is on track to open vaccinations to everybody by May 1.“And I’m confident that we will exceed it,” Northam said. “When our country sets clear goals, we meet and exceed them. In fact, President Biden set a goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days and our country met that goal in 58 days.”Northam said the numbers are positive enough to begin to ease restrictions, beginning with the number of people who can gather at events. Beginning on April 1, changes will be made to the Forward Virginia plan.“Starting on April 1, social gatherings may have up to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors,” Northam said.That includes weddings. “Entertainment venues will be able to operate at 30 percent of capacity and up to 500 people indoors. Outdoor venues can have up to 30 percent but won’t have a numeric cap,” he said. Northam used the example of the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team, who play in a stadium that can hold up 9,500 people. The new rules would allow attendance of just over 3,000 people. The rules for sporting events are a little different, though. “The number of spectators allowed for recreational sports will increase to 100 indoors, and to 500 outdoors,” Northam said. “Recreational sporting events indoors and outside will be limited to 30 percent of capacity.” Northam said other measures are still in place, including the number of people who can gather as well as required face coverings. Last week, leaders in Northern Virginia sent a letter to Northam asking why they weren’t getting more vaccines given that acceptance rates have not been as high in some areas of the Commonwealth. Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator, explained changes that are being made.“This is certainly something we’ve been monitoring since the beginning of January,” Dr. Avula said. “We’ve primarily started the allocation process based on population and then made some tweaks here and there based on the number of people living in a community who are 65 and over, or with underlying conditions, or the concentration of Black and Latino residents in different communities. So we are now getting to a phase of the vaccination roll-out where we are seeing demand start to wane and I think that is happening more so in rural communities. We’ve seen uptake slow down and those communities are starting to move from 1B to 1C and in response we and we have been for the last couple of weeks kind of shifting allocations to places that have more 1B demand.” But what about people who do not plan to get the vaccine when their time comes?“We realize that and I continue to encourage folks that these are safe, they are effective, and that we need as a community, as a society to get to about 70 to 75 percent of individuals receiving the vaccine to get to that herd immunity,” Northam said.Northam said another challenge will be how to get children vaccinated as they will need to be included in order to reach that goal. “The clinical trials taking a look at the messenger RNA vaccines, the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines, have been started in children,” said Dr. Costi Sifri, the director of hospital epidemiology taking questions at a press briefing this morning. “The clinical trials are really going to be looking in addition to this marker of immune response and antibody response, they’re really going to be designed to take a look at safety questions,” Dr. Sifri said. Yesterday, the Virginia Department of Health confirmed that two COVID variants that originated in California have been identified in the Commonwealth. Dr. Sifri said the best ways to prevent them from spreading is to get vaccinated when the time comes, and to also continue to follow all of the protocols. As I said earlier, the percent positivity has been around 5.5 for the past several weeks.“There’s a steady level of new COVID cases right now so we’re no longer decreasing in many locations and that’s true here in Virginia as well,” Dr. Sifri said. “I think it is accurate to describe it a race between variants and vaccines. I think the great news is that we have great vaccines and we’re set to push those out rapidly and what we’re waiting for right now is just more supply.”Now we wait to see if the number of new cases begins dropping again, or whether a “spring surge” happens as large gatherings begin again. Dr. Reid Adams is UVA’s Chief Medical Officer. He said the reduced capacity at those large venues allows for people to be spaced out. “It doesn’t get away from the fact that people need to continue to social distance, wash their hands, wear their mask, and do all of the things that we’ve been doing for the past year,” Dr. Adams said. As spring does it thing, the beauty of blossoms cause many area residents to experience allergies, which share some of the same symptoms of COVID-19. Dr. Sifri recommended that people get tested for COVID to be on the safe side. “I think it is important as you’re starting to have those symptoms to make sure that you know exactly what’s going on,” Dr. Sifri said. “So, if you are having typical allergy symptoms and it is the flowering tree that you’re used to reacting to, maybe it’s a reasonable presumption that is that but it also does not hurt to also just be tested to make sure.” The Blue Ridge Health District held a press briefing on Thursday to explain why they do not want people who live here to travel to another health district to get vaccinations. But first, Dr. Denise Bonds gave a status update on vaccine availability. Remember that in February the health district was only getting about 3,000 doses a week. (watch the briefing)“The Health Department received 1,300 first doses of Moderna and 1,100 second doses,” Dr. Bonds said. “Additionally we received 2,340 first doses of Pfizer and we have a little bit of Johnson and Johnson that is available to use for some vaccination this week but it’s not a sustained amount.” Dr. Bonds said it is likely that increased allocations of vaccine will come in the form of the Johnson and Johnson shot. Another change is that the UVA Health is once again receiving doses directly from the Virginia Department of Health. “And UVA at Seminole Square will have 2,510 first doses of Pfizer, 1,170 second doses of Pfizer and 1,110 Moderna second doses,” Dr. Bonds said. Ryan McKay, the operations director for the District, asked people to register now, regardless of where you are in the queue.“Why this is important, one we want to understand and know who wants to get vaccinated but this helps determine allocation of vaccine to health districts across Virginia,” McKay said. “And so that data that is pulled from the state database helps inform the actual number of doses we may receive from one week to the next.” Earlier this week, a social media post prompted a wave of people who live here driving elsewhere as part of a phenomenon known as “vaccine tourism.” Kathryn Goodman is the communications director for the Blue Ridge Health District.“We’ve heard of a lot of different community members and students driving to Danville to get their first dose of the vaccine, and we’ve also heard from folks who are requesting that they can get their second dose here in Charlottesville,” Goodman said. However, the statewide system does not work that way.“Given the limited vaccine supply, we are unable to provide second doses for individuals who are going to these larger vaccination center clinics and that’s because our second doses relies on how many first doses are administered in our health district,” Goodman said. “So unfortunately we’re not able to provide those second doses and want to make sure people are aware of that.” Goodman said she was aware many have claimed they went because they thought doses were not being used. She said the Virginia Department of Health is working to address allocation issues.If people continue going outside of the district to get an unscheduled appointment, that could affect the supply that comes to the Blue Ridge Health District. “If we have a large number of individuals that got their first dose elsewhere but come to us for their second dose, that’s going to reduce the number of first doses that we will have available for that period of time,” Dr. Bonds said.For more on this specific issue, take a look at a press release sent out on Wednesday. Near the end of the briefing, Goodman said she understood people’s frustration. “The important piece behind this is that we everyone to be vaccinated,” Goodman said. “It’s just a matter of when everybody will be vaccinated, not if. If you want a vaccine, we will make sure you get one. It just has to take a little bit of time as it relies on our supply and the vaccine roll-out for vaccinating those who are at the greatest risk for death and disease first.”And to put that in perspective for today, 70 percent of cases in the Blue Ridge Health District have been in people under the age of 50. Ninety-nine percent of the 200 fatalities have been in people over the age of 50. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

This installment of the newsletter is a little different. I have been slowly moving most of my pandemic coverage to one weekly show, and I wanted to make sure I did one on the one year anniversary of the first episode of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report. With all meetings going online, it was suddenly fairly easy to bring in sound and then cut it up. Four months later, I launched this newsletter and have been slowly building up my ability to bring you information. Most installments of the podcast double as newsletters, because I tend to write anything out anyway. This time, though, I want to get moving on to processing the next newsletter. So, this is one I’m going to encourage you to listen to if you want the information. Most of the material has been published elsewhere, but I wanted to bring it all together in a sonic form. What follows in this newsletter is an edited version of my script to try to give you a hint of what you’ll hear. The first installment of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report featured sound I could find online, and for first time, I recorded a press conference from the governor, a Facebook live event from Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker, and a remote town hall meeting with Delegate Sally Hudson. The second installment was published less than 24 hours after the first one, and covered one of the last meetings where Charlottesville City Council met in person. In all, there have been 56 episodes of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report. Listening through them will take you so much of what the community has been through. Download them all here. The third one was produced, followed by another, and another and another. On April 7, I produced the 17th installment, which featured a suggestion from Governor Northam that we begin to wear masks. By the 36th episode on May 28, 2020, that was an order and a component on a gradual loosening of some of the initial restrictions. In producing the quarantine report, and a radio version that aired on a now-defunct station, my appetite for community journalism reached the point where I decided to strike out on my own, and I launched this newsletter and other platforms yet to be determined. But the point of this installment is not just to wax nostalgic. The vast majority of this show is from audio from the past week. If you listen, you’ll hear audio from Governor Ralph Northam’s March 9 update on the state of the pandemic. Over 20 percent of all Virginians have had at least one dose of a vaccine, and the one-shot Johnson and Johnson version is in distribution. Let’s hear some of Northam’s reflections. We may not be on the other side yet, but we’ve come a long way in the past year. For the past few months, the UVA Health System has held a weekly press briefing that has given local reporters a chance to ask questions about the pandemic response. You’ll also hear some of March 12 briefing. A big change between March 2020 and March 2021 is a new president. Joe Biden addressed the nation on March 11. You’ll hear parts of that, including a bold declaration.  “I’m announcing that I will direct all states, tribes, and territories to make all adults, people 18 and over, eligible to be vaccinated no later than May,” Biden said. But can Virginia make it? Dr. Danny Avula is the person appointed by Governor Northam to coordinate vaccine distribution in Virginia. He gave his own press briefing on March 12 and sounded a confident tone.“As we look at the supply and the pace and the demand here in Virginia, we really think that we will easily meet that May 1 marker, and potentially even outpace it for a couple of weeks,” Avula said.As of today, March 16, 2021, one in five Virginians has received a first dose. Over a million Virginians are fully vaccinated. The current seven-day average for vaccinations is 52,898 a day. Avula said the pace is allowing the Virginia Department of Health to work through the existing eligibility categories. “We will get through our 1B demand by mid-April, and in some parts of that state that is going to be sooner,” Dr. Avula said. “We really are going to allow different parts of the state much like we did with the 1A to 1B transition, different parts of the state will move to 1C and to 2 at their own pace  depending on the unique demographics.”What about the Blue Ridge Health District? They’re holding a press briefing tomorrow to talk about the issue and I’ll bring that information to you in a further installment of this Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter. If you made it this far, another program note. The full audio from the March 10, 2021 Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association candidates forum is posted at InfoCville. (listen) This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Perhaps we sing about the weather outside being frightful at the wrong holiday, but this winter certainly has transformed the greater Charlottesville area into a bit of a wonderland. Fitting for Valentine’s Day! Charlottesville Community Engagement is here for February 14, 2021 to bring you another installment on the pandemic. Today’s program is a gift from me to you for Valentine’s Day. I’ve dedicated my life to doing this work in order to help this community understand itself a little better, and I’m grateful to the universe for allowing me to be here at this time. My message here today is simply a hope today that this message finds you well. If not, then it’s a wish for a better tomorrow. On today’s show:Two variants of COVID-19 are now in Virginia More on the vaccination roll-out including a concern CVS is not distributing through an equity lensLessons learned at UVA Health during the pandemicSource: Virginia Department of HealthAnother newsletter, another set of pandemic numbers. All long-term indicators of community spread continue to trend downward at the state level. The seven-day average of positive PCR tests is now at 9.6 percent, down from 15.5 percent a month ago. Today the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 3,000 a day for the first time in over two months. However, one trend is for an increased number of cases in Charlottesville, with an average of 34 a day, with other indicators increasing. But there is now evidence that new strains of COVID are here, throwing another uncertainty into the situation. On Friday, the Virginia Department of Health announced that a person in eastern Virginia contracted what is known as the U.K. variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They also identified the first case of what is known as the South African variant. “A preliminary report from experts in the United Kingdom indicates that this variant causes more severe illness than other variants, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding,” reads the press release that went out Friday afternoon.With the pandemic now at the 11 month mark, what does this mean for the pathway forward?  Dr. Danny Avula talked about the variants on a press call Friday afternoon held in his capacity as the vaccine coordinator for the Virginia Department of Health. “We’re certainly paying close attention to the variant situation and I think the entire country and the entire world are in similar boats in the way that we approach this,” Dr. Avula said. “We don’t know what’s to come. We know right now that we in Virginia we’ve got evidence of both the B.1.1.7 and the B.1.3.5.1, the U.K. and the South African variants. We also know that these have presented a really significant issue in other countries.”Avula said he spoke with colleagues from Israel last week who told him that the U.K. variant is now the dominant strain. “Within two months of identifying the B.1.1.7 variant, it became their dominant strain and they were reporting last week anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of their new infections were the U.K. strain,” Avula said. “Our modelers down at the CDC say it will be the dominant strain here in the United States by the end of March.” Learn more about Dr. Avula on the VDH websiteDr. Avula said the vaccines still appear to be effective against the U.K. strain but more data is necessary to determine its efficacy against the South African strain. In the meantime, he encourages people to continue to be vigilant.“I think what it does mean for Virginia is that we have to double down on all the core mitigation strategies like the masking and the distancing,” Dr. Avula said. Dr. Avula said that means improving the vaccination system. We’ll hear more from him on that later. Let’s now check in with the University of Virginia Health System. They also held a press briefing on Friday.  Dr. Costi Sifri is an infectious disease expert.“Variants are in the United States, they’re in Virginia,” Dr. Sifri said. “We don’t know exactly how many because we have not done a lot of genomic sequencing to understand how many there are and where they are located.” Dr. Sifri said that will likely change over time and the public should be prepared. “We would anticipate that we will see them in increasing amounts and as we know the CDC has predicted that is what we can anticipate seeing in the upcoming months,” Dr. Sifri said. “What we understand however from what’s occurred in Europe is that COVID precautions so what we really need to do is double down and be committed to continuing the things we know prevent the transmission of COVID.”That means washing hands, keeping distance, and continuing to wear a mask. Also on the briefing call was Kyle Enfield is the director of the Special Pathogens Unit at the University of Virginia Health System. He’s been on the frontline of the fight against the virus since the pandemic began. “A lot has happened in the time that we’ve had COVID patients at UVA,” Enfield said. “We admitted our first patient on March 23, 2020. We have learned a lot about how to care for these patients at UVA.” Part of that has come from clinical trials to get treatments and part is the experience that comes with dealing with patients dealing with a novel virus over months. Dr. Enfield shared one lesson learned.“We don’t rush to intubate patients as early,” Enfield said. “What we have found is that there is a group of patients that while they require very high levels of oxygen, or what we call high-flow oxygen, many of them will do very well without intubation and the benefit to the patient is that by not being put on a breathing machine they are able to be more interactive with us as a team, more interactive with their environment. They don’t require the sedative medications that can lead to a complication called delirium in the ICU.”Another lesson is the use of remdesivir in patients who aren’t seriously ill as well as use of certain steroids. In the early days of the pandemic, one of the concerns was whether there were enough ventilators to go round. Dr. Enfield said the state helped manage an inventory. “We actually have a good strategic surplus in the state of Virginia that allows us to move ventilators from hospital to hospital and we haven’t really had to touch that at all,” Enfield said. Now the state is working to manage a limited number of vaccines from the federal government, while also dealing with the federal program that allocates other doses to pharmacy chain CVS.Dr. Sifri said the University of Virginia Health system has remained busy assisting the Blue Ridge Health District with vaccinations.“Our biggest challenge is that we’re constrained by the supply of vaccine,” Dr. Sifri said. As of this morning, more than one million Virginians have received at least one dose of a vaccine according to the Virginia Department of Health dashboard. The seven-day average is now at 35,873 a day. The target set by Governor Ralph Northam is 50,000 a day. Source: Virginia Department of HealthDr. Avula said the number of doses will increase, but the pathway isn’t entirely clear.“The rest of it really depends on how the production goes with Moderna and Pfizer, and then the timeline for the introduction of Johnson & Johnson, and Astra-Zeneca, and then the potential for Novovax down the road,” Avula said. “Johnson & Johnson has submitted their application for authorization. That decision is due to be made on February 26 and so our hope is that in the first week of March that brings new vaccine into the supply line and the Moderna and Pfizer production will just continuously increase over the course of the next couple of months.” Next week, the VDH will roll out a centralized system for people to register vaccinations. Dr. Avula acknowledged that the opening up of Phase1B overwhelmed local health departments across Virginia. “What we have done in response to that is create this more centralized process and it allows us to have consistency to follow the guidelines that we’re crafting at the state level, but there still has to be local flexibility, right?”Dr. Avula said different areas of Virginia may have different needs. For instance, efforts are afoot on the Eastern shore to vaccinate workers in poultry factories. To confuse matters more, Fairfax County will be opting out of the statewide registration system. Dr. Avula spoke with officials there on Friday. “I think the county worked really hard to build their own registration process and for reasons you’d have to ask them about, they weren’t ready to make that transition,” Dr. Avula said. “We absolutely encouraged it. The Fairfax County Health Department is not under the jurisdiction of the state. They are one the ones that are independent and integrated into their local government.” So far, many people have been able to get appointments outside of local health districts through vaccinations at CVS pharmacies, for which doses are being allotted through a different system. Dr. Avula said he has an issue with their process for favoring those with means. “It does not allow equitable access, right?” Dr. Avula said. “It does not take into consideration people who don’t have Internet access, or who don’t have the ability to wake up at 5 a.m. and try to sign up…. It favors those those can be mobile, right? So you have people in parts of Northern Virginia who are willing to drive to Abingdon to get an appointment. We need to figure something out there.” Avula gave details about how the VDH system will look when it is formally announced later this week. It’s not just an Internet portal and the goal is to expand access. “What will be coming next week is a central call center with 750 call takers,” Avula said. “They will be in English and in Spanish. They will also have access to a third-party translation service in a hundred different languages.” The announcement is expected later this week. Thanks for reading! You can help support this work which is produced under the name Town Crier Productions in order to make a living as I go about my work researching public policy in our community.  Support my research by making a monthly donation through PatreonSign for a subscription to Charlottesville Community Engagement, free or paidPay me through VenmoSend a check to Town Crier Productions This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s show doubles as an episode of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report. With the COVID pandemic still raging, today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out from an anonymous contributor is once again to state clearly: "We keep each other safe. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance." At a briefing on January 22, 2021, the executive director of the Blue Ridge Health District had a clear message for people in the greater Charlottesville area.“There is a vaccination shortage and I just need everyone to understand that,” said Dr. Denise Bonds. Bonds appeared at one of three press briefings held Friday to explain the current situation. In this edition of the newsletter, we’ll also hear from Dr. Costi Sifri from the University of Virginia Health System and Dr. Danny Avula, Richmond’s health director who is also serving as the state’s vaccine coordinator. “Right now in Virginia we’re getting about 105,000 new doses per week and clearly there is much more demand than that,” Avula said. “Why is that and how do we address it?”The post holiday surge appears to be receding slightly, with several indicators trending downward over the past several days. Today’s count of 3,792 new cases reported by the Virginia Department of Health is the second lowest-one day count of the year, and the seven-day average for new cases has been trending downwards and is now at 4,735. Virginia has now surpassed five million PCR tests administered and the seven-day average for positive test results is now at 12.7 percent. That number has been declining since January 10 when it hit a high of 16.8 percent. There have now been a total of 10,132 cases in the Blue Ridge Health District with a 7-day average of 82 new cases a day. The holiday surge has been felt more dramatically in surrounding counties. Nearly two-thirds of the 573 cases in Nelson County have been reported since January 1 and more than half of Louisa’s cases have been in 2021. In comparison, the city of Charlottesville has only had twenty-percent of its 2,639 cases reported this year. Throughout the pandemic, a lot of planning has been based on an epidemiological model created by the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute. Their model depicts several scenarios which could unfold under various conditions. The latest one considers new forms of COVID that are believed to be circulating across the world. The “new variants” scenario assumes a 40 percent increase in transmission rate and a potentially dramatic increase in new cases.“In this scenario, new weekly cases peak at almost 75,000,” reads the report. “However, peaks are sustained, with 65,000 or more cases expected for 10 weeks, from late February to late April. By comparison, Virginia had about 50,000 new cases during the entire month of November.”For comparison, there’s been 33,142 cases this week, compared to 40,449 the week before. Take a look at the report if you want to look further, but do know the last two sentences under “model-results” remind everyone this scenario is not inevitable. “Do your part to stop the spread,” reads the ‘model results section.’ ”Continue to practice good prevention and get vaccinated when eligible.”Source: UVA Biocomplexity Institute*However, there is an issue with supply. It has been two weeks since the Blue Ridge Health District announced the opening of Phase1B, and some in the community have expressed frustration with the roll-out. Cynthia Neff is an Albemarle resident who spoke to the Board of Supervisors on January 20. “As this vaccine roll-out has began having one problem after another, I’ve started to talking to a lot of people to try to better understand,” Neff said. “Certainly we can do this better, quicker, faster, more effectively. And I’m not sure that I’m seeing that in spite of a lot of people working really hard.” To clear up some of the confusion, the Blue Ridge Health District held a press briefing on Friday. Here’s Dr. Denise Bonds, the agency’s director. “We recently opened up vaccination to Phase 1B,” Bonds said. “This was a request by the federal government and an encouragement by our state government to really begin to offer vaccines to those who were at highest risk at having of having an adverse outcome if they were impacted, and that would be people over the age of 75, and to a large degree those over the age of 65 or younger with comorbidities.”Based on an email sent out on January 7, the Health District had originally anticipated opening up that phase in early spring, but they complied with the request and announced on January 15 they would proceed on January 18 at the mass vaccination site built at the former K-Mart building on U.S. 29 and Hydraulic Road. An arrangement was worked out with the University of Virginia to supply people who could administer doses. However, Dr. Bonds said she learned of a major problem on January 20. “There is a vaccination shortage and I just need everybody to understand that,” Bonds said. “There are five million Virginians that are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Virginia gets each week 105,000 doses for the whole state. As you can see, there is considerable demand and not much supply.” For the Blue Ridge Health District, that means a weekly distribution of 2,950 first doses for the next four weeks. Dr. Bonds said she learned on Wednesday that would be the new supply from the Virginia Department of Health as they contend with a shortage.“Prior to that we ordered what we needed for the next week but the state quickly realized they were getting twice to three times as many as orders as we actually got vaccines, so they switched to a per capita distribution system,” Dr. Bonds said. For the next four weeks at least, the  Blue Ridge Health District will need to figure out how to prioritize the limited amount of doses. Ryan McKay is the director of policy for the health district.“The 2,950 dose fall significantly short of what we know we can dispense in any given week,” McKay said. “What that means is that we have to plan a little bit more accordingly in terms of how we distribute vaccines to localities but also how we apply that distribution to the guidelines that are provided by VDH and how we use an equitable lens to make sure that we’re reaching all of the hardest hit individuals in the district.”As of Friday afternoon, the Blue Ridge Health District had administered 1,500 first doses, and were scheduling appointments for 4,200 people using resources shared by the UVA Health System. Dr. Bonds repeated again that there are limited doses. “Please be patient,” Dr. Bonds said. “We are trying to make sure that we offer to anyone over the age of 75 a vaccine, but it’s going to take us some time to get through the entire list.” Dr. Bonds said anyone who currently has an existing appointment with the Blue Ridge Health District for a first shot will get their initial dose.“Individuals who need a second dose will also get a vaccine,” Bonds said. “That 2,950 represents first doses only. Second doses are distributed in a second separate distribution system and we will contact individuals on a week by week basis to make sure those people who need a second dose are given an appointment so they don’t have to compete in the general IT system.” As new supply comes in, the health district will be able to make more appointments. Dr. Bonds recommended people who qualify under Phase 1B to fill out the survey but continued to urge patience.“I want to set very clear expectations,” Dr. Bonds said. “At our current rate of receiving vaccines it will take months to vaccinate all of the individuals that qualify under Phase1B.” Dr. Bonds said capacity would be expanded by the authorization of new vaccines. They’re also switching to a new computer system to make the scheduling process more efficient, as there have been reported difficulties. In the meantime, Dr. Bonds repeated the most effective tools to stop or slow the spread of COVID.“We need everyone to continue those great mitigation strategies that we have all become so good at,” Dr. Bonds said. “Please continue to wear your mask. Please continue to maintain physical distancing. Wash your hands frequently and properly. And please limit your social gatherings, particularly with other households. We know this has been a huge source of infection, particularly recently.” UVA Health System’s roleSince Monday, the University of Virginia Health System has been helping to bolster capacity in the Blue Ridge Health District’s efforts. They’ll begin their second week tomorrow. “We have plenty of capacity in terms of our ability to provide shots,” said Dr. Costi Sifri, the health system’s director of hospital epidemiology. “We’re willing to do whatever Blue Ridge Health District wants us to do to meet the needs of our community.”The University of Virginia Health System has been vaccinating its personnel. As of Friday, the University of Virginia had received 25,075 first doses of vaccine.“Of those, we have provided a total of 17,321 total doses and we have scheduled 22,693 first doses, or have provided those vaccines,” Dr. Sifri said. However, those numbers may be much lower over the next few week as supply chains struggle to keep up with demand. Dr. Sifri said the work has been done to set up the system for when more doses are available. “I think this is becoming a clear realization around the country that vaccine supplies are going to be limited,” Dr. Sifri said. “I think that we understood that from the launch of this vaccine program. Some of the initial efforts for the first couple of weeks as we got vaccines were to figure out that last mile. How to figure out how to get a vaccine into a person’s arm and make it a vaccination. That work is now done within our health system and I think that’s true around the rest of our health district, around the state and the country. Now that we have capacity to distribute vaccine and get it into people’s arms, we’re starting to see that the supply is limited.”Dr. Sifri said he did not know how much vaccine would be distributed to the UVA Health System. He said they have the capacity to deliver 1,000 doses a day but the limiting factor will be vaccine supply. “Our hope is and our anticipation is that vaccine production efforts are ramped up in the next month and perhaps the prospect of having new vaccines come to approval within the next month or so, we’ll be able to ramp up further delivery to everybody,” Dr. Sifri said. Dr. Sifri encouraged people in Phase1B to sign up through the Blue Ridge Health District through its online portal to register. He also said people should be prepared for changes as more information is known. “Keep attentive to how the situation may change,” Dr. Sifri said. “Maybe there’s going to be other avenues to receive vaccine, perhaps through pharmacies, perhaps through your primary care physician. Those structures aren’t in place yet because of the limitations of the vaccine and because of some of the challenges of the current vaccine that we have available.”Dr. Sifri stressed it is crucial that people who have been vaccinated continue to wear a mask, continue to follow social distancing protocols. The vaccines are all approved under an emergency declaration.“We don’t have a lot of information yet as to whether being vaccinated reduces the ability to carry the virus,” Dr. Sifri said. “There is some information from the clinical trials that suggests it does reduce the amount of virus that people carry and that some people may no longer carry the vaccine in addition to being protected from the vaccine but I think it’s still to early to tell.” The word from Virginia’s vaccine coordinatorVirginia has 35 health districts, and Dr. Danny Avula runs both the Richmond and Henrico County departments. Now he is also playing the role of vaccine coordinator for the entire Commonwealth. He began his press briefing Friday with a statement and a question.“Right now in Virginia we’re getting about 105,000 new doses per week and clearly there is much more demand than that,” Avula said. “Why is that and how do we address it?”Health districts across the Commonwealth have moved quickly to create vaccination sites and to train people to administer the dose. However, there isn’t enough vaccine yet to go around. “Clearly to get to our goals of herd immunity and get up to 70 to 80 percent of the population vaccinated, we are going to need that kind of infrastructure,” Avula said. “But right now when we’re only getting about 105,000 new doses a week, that infrastructure will sit idly until our supply increases.” Source: Virginia Department of HealthOn Sunday, January 24, the Virginia Department of Health reported that the seven-day average for vaccinations is now at 21,007 a day. The dashboard reported 474,979 doses administered, which is less than half of the 1,055,975 doses Virginia has received. Dr. Avula said the reason for some of that gap is that CVS and Walgreens are slowly rolling out their distribution of the vaccine into long-term care facilities. “There is a large number of doses, probably around 100,000 at this point, that have been distributed into Virginia but have not been administered yet,” Avula said. “The CVS and Walgreens are working those various nursing homes and assisted living facilities as quickly as they can. We have been on the phone with their state leadership multiple times this week and they are accelerating their pace.”But back to the allocations for health districts across the Commonwealth which are much smaller than had been anticipated. Dr. Avula said Phase1B covers a very large portion of the population. “The challenge of this is when you’re only getting a couple of thousand new doses a week to be distributing between hospitals, health systems, health departments, providers, and pharmacies, how do you do that in a way that comes even close to meeting demand?” Avuld asked. “The answer is, you don’t, you can’t. And understandably that has led to a great deal of confusion and frustration on the part of our public.” We can expect to hear more questions in the weeks and months to come, and these health briefings are expected to continue. Defense Production ActBefore we go today, one piece of federal information. One of President Joe Biden’s first actions in office was to sign an executive order that invokes the Defense Production Act which could help speed up vaccines. “The Federal Government must act urgently and effectively to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.  To that end, this order directs immediate actions to secure supplies necessary for responding to the pandemic, so that those supplies are available, and remain available, to the Federal Government and State, local, Tribal, and territorial authorities, as well as to America’s health care workers, health systems, and patients.  These supplies are vital to the Nation’s ability to reopen its schools and economy as soon and safely as possible.” This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

The pandemic has been altering our lives for ten months now, and this weekend marks the ten month anniversary of the first episode of what would be the creation of Charlottesville Community Engagement. As this installment is devoted entirely to the vaccine, it hereby doubles as the 52nd installment of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report.In today’s show:  On Monday, the University of Virginia Health System will begin helping the Blue Ridge Health District administer vaccinesVirginia’s vaccine coordinator provides update on getting to 50,000 doses a dayD.C. Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage addresses Black reluctance to vaccinations Today’s program comes to you with support from Jim Duncan, an associate broker and partner at Nest Realty, who represents buyers and sellers in the Charlottesville area, and writes the long-running realcentralva.com and realcrozetva.com blogs. He’s one of many who wants to support community news. Let’s start with today’s numbers. Today, Virginia sets another one-day record with 9,914 cases, nearly 3,200 higher than reported the day before. Over a quarter of Virginia’s total of 439,305 cases have been reported in 2021, an indicator of how much community transmission is happening now, compared to the early days of the pandemic. There is not a corresponding increase yet in the number of deaths, and the total count stands at 5,729 today. In the Blue Ridge Health District, there has not been January 11, and the death toll stands at 99. There are another 143 cases reported in the district today. Over a quarter of the 9,558 cases to date have been reported in the past 17 days. Over 40 percent of Louisa County’s 1,269 cases to date are reported in 2021. In comparison, only 16.2 percent of Charlottesville’s 2,560 cases are from this year. The bottom line is that cases are rising fast, and health officials stress the need to continue to follow safety protocols.  Source: Virginia Department of HealthThese numbers are going to change fast. Now let’s move now to a different set of metrics. Vaccines. In the first week of the year, Dr. Danny Avula was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam to coordinate the roll-out of the vaccine by the local, state and federal governments. He briefed the press on Saturday.“As of today, we have administered a total of 295,202 doses and that is out of a total number of vaccines distributed to Virginia of 943,400,” Avula said. We’ll hear more from Avula and the state of Virginia later. Let’s first turn to the greater Charlottesville area. As of Friday morning, nearly 10,000 people associated with the University of Virginia Health System have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. About a tenth of that number have received a second dose.Beginning next week, the University of Virginia Health system will send additional resources to the vaccination clinic being run by the Blue Ridge Health District. This is part of the roll-out of Phase1B in the Health District, which is a division of the Virginia Department of Health. “We will be taking any unused vaccines that we have left over taking care of our own folks and then go over to the K-Mart tent sent up that has been set up by the Health District to help them with vaccinating folks in that group 1b,” said Eric Swensen, a spokesman of the UVA Health System. Here’s Dr. Costi Sifri, the health system’s director of hospital epidemiology. “We have doses we think in excess of what we’re going to need to vaccinate our employees,” Dr. Sifri said. “Where that number is i don’t know but it’s probably in the thousands, several thousands.”But it’s just not doses of vaccine. UVA will begin to supplement personnel required to handle administering the shots in the modular structure.“I believe on Monday we are sending over vaccinators from UVA Health to support the efforts of the Health District,” said Dr. Costi Sifri, the health system’s director of hospital epidemiology. “We’re going to be sending up to ten. It sounds like initially we’ll be sending four or five as we learn this process but we anticipate within a week we’ll be sending up to ten on a daily basis to help support their efforts.”Dr. Sifri said UVA Health continues to vaccinate its employees and healthcare workers under Phase1A, and logistics are being planned for Phase1C. That phase may include non-medical faculty, staff and students but the exact determination has not yet been made. That all comes from guidelines provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control, and filtered through the Virginia Disaster Medical Advisory Committee. Dr. Sifri said the various phases may change as more vaccine doses become available.“We certainly have heard and I think we can all anticipate seeing that there will be more rapid movement to collapsing these tier groups so that we can more rapidly vaccinate everybody within our community and this is true nationwide,” Dr. Sifri said. “I think this will be an evolving plan.” For the next few weeks, though, Dr. Sifri said initial efforts will focus on those at highest risk in the community. Wendy Horton, CEO of the UVA Health System, said that they will work at the direction of the Health District.“You know, VDH is really providing the guidance and we are helping with the vaccinations per their guidance,” Horton said. “The bottom line is that next week we anticipate that we will be moving toward community vaccination. We are partnering with VDH and our goal is to really support the vaccination efforts to try to get into the community and try to vaccinate as many people as we can under the guidance of VDH.”The vaccine roll-out may still take time. Dr. Sifri said people should continue to follow the guidelines that have been in place for ten months now to slow the spread.“We’re seeing the highest rates that we’ve seen in our community since this has started so it really is incumbent upon us to continue to practice those measures which keep us safe and keep our loved ones safe, and that is to wear masks when you’re not at home, to maintain social distancing, to avoid inside areas that are close with a lot of people, and of course, as always to continue hand-washing,” Dr. Sifri said. To find out where you are right now in the vaccination schedule, Dr. Sifri recommended signing up with the Virginia Department of Health. (survey)*On Thursday, January 14, 2021, Governor Ralph Northam held another press conference where he gave up an update on vaccinations across Virginia. Over the course of the pandemic, Northam has critiqued the federal government for its lack of action. That is changing as the presidential transition approaches. (watch the video)“In recent days, we’ve seen a new attitude among our federal partners,” Northam said. “We have been able to work much more closely with them.”On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent out new guidance to states telling them to expand vaccinations to people 65 and over and for those under 64 at risk. Virginia will comply, depending on supplies.“Communication between the federal, state, and local authorities is key,” Northam said. “This means about half of Virginia is now eligible to receive the vaccine. That’s a major logistical effort and it is not going to happen overnight. Everyone will need to be patient. It’s going to happen as fast as it can be done.”At the beginning of the year, Northam set a goal of 50,000 vaccinations a day. He appointed the director of the Richmond Health District to coordinate efforts between the multiple layers of government. Here’s Dr. Danny Avula speaking on Thursday. “What we recognize is that if we’re going to get to 50,000 doses a day, which is what we need to do if we’re going to get herd immunity in the Commonwealth, we really do need to get to an infrastructure that can handle 50,000 doses a day, that we’re going to need to do more,” Dr. Danny Avula said. Dr. Danny Avula speaking on January 14, 2021The K-Mart site is an example of one of these sites, and the goal is to get them all functioning six to seven days a week across the Commonwealth.“Our goal is to get this staffed by the National Guard and by contracted vaccinators who will be able to provide this service in large scale,” Dr. Avula said. Two days later, Dr. Avula gave an update on where things are. The roll-out has been critiqued by several as being too slow. As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health website reported 316,812 total doses administered, and an average of 15,384 a day. That’s still short of the target. “We have been steadily increasing the number of doses a day,” Avula said. “If you look on the website, and you look at that seven-day average, it has gone from a few thousand a day to over 14,000 a day.”Dr. Avula said over 20,000 doses were administered a day from Wednesday to Friday. He said one issue has been that there has been a gap between actual shots in arms and them being entered into reporting systems. Today’s dashboard reports a total of 316,812 doses administered and 943,400 doses distributed. “So, there’s a gap there and I think that has led a lot of people to ask questions,” Dr. Avula said. “What is going on? Are doses sitting on shelves? How are we not getting doses to the people who need it.”So far, most of the doses distributed have gone to the people who work for health systems. That will begin to change as more Health Districts move into Phase 1B. Think back to what Northam said earlier about how the federal Health and Human Services Department authorized people over the age of 65 to be vaccinated? There’s a problem and the federal communications may have been broken down. “They also intimated that there would be a large release of second dose reserve,” Dr. Avula said. “Remember, this vaccine is a two-dose vaccine and the way the federal government had been allocating that is that they’d been sending out first doses and holding back second doses and then delivering those second doses as they came ready to deliver those second doses. And so we were hearing consistent messaging from the federal government that all of those doses were going to be released. As a Commonwealth we decided to follow the federal government’s lead to add those 65 and up and those with underlying conditions to our Phase 1b. Over the last couple days we have heard very different messaging and we’re not exactly sure what to do with that but the sense is that may not actually be the case and our allocations may not actually be increasing is what we’re hearing and is certainly is disconcerting and disheartening given that we made the first step to expand our 1B under the assumption we’d be receiving more vaccine.”Nonetheless, Dr. Avula said Virginia continues to receive 100,000 doses or so each week.“The state is not holding back any of the that vaccine,” Avula said. “It is all being sent out to providers.” Dr. Avula said it will take time to get through all Virginia residents, and to ramp up to the target of 50,000 doses a day.   Source: Virginia Department of Health*One of the identified issues with getting the vaccine distributed widely is hesitance in the Black community. Wayne Turnage served as chief of staff for former Governor Tim Kaine and is now Deputy Mayor for the D.C. Health and Human Services agency. He said we’re in serious times. “Two hundred and thirty thousand new infections per day, more than 4,400 deaths per day, [a number] growing by nearly fifty percent every two weeks,” Turnage said. “All offer further indication that we are in the worst pandemic in more than a hundred years.” D.C. Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage speaking on January 14, 2021Turnage said mass vaccinations are the best way to get back to something close to normal life. He volunteered in one of the vaccine trials, but learned afterward his experimental dosage was a placebo. Turnage has since received his first actual shot. “Epidemiologists explain that this virus will continue to propagate until it can no longer find fuel among the population,” Turnage said. “We further understand that to build a fortress to prevent this continuing spread, roughly 60 to 70 percent of the 330 million people in this country must be vaccinated, effectively creating through mass inoculation the much discussed herd immunity. Yet in jurisdictions all over the country, large numbers of African-Americans have expressed a stubborn resistance to the government’s expectations that U.S. citizens agree to be vaccinated in hopes of controlling this devastating spread of COVID-19. Our reluctance is understandable for it is borne of a justifiable mistrust of medical experiments that were once implemented in the Black community using methods that violated the most basic research ethics for conducting experimental trials.”Turnage pointed to his experience going through the vaccine trials as an example of his personal confidence in the process.  He said the safety records during the vaccine creation process is safe and that the two brands authorized have been proven to be effective. Turnage made several points, and the first was about the design of the vaccine. “One of the routinely expressed fears of the Black community is that the vaccine will actually expose them to the virus and make them sick,” Turnage said. “However, these vaccines are not similar to the most traditional viruses and vaccines, which often consisted of the actual virus itself. For example, the polio virus was made of the live virus prior to 2000, and since then it has been made from a deadened or attenuated form of the live virus. Likewise, vaccines for measles, the flu, rubella and the chicken pox, are made from a live, or weakened virus. Though extremely rare, in such cases there is always the possibility that an attenuated virus can turn pathogenic and cause the disease both in the person who was vaccinated and their close contacts. But the current vaccines to fight COVID in this country are built from a new and smartly innovative technology based on a single molecule that has the ability to communicate with your body’s protein-making machinery. Making protein is a normal biological function of your body. Based on the instructions that your body receives from this single molecule, your body is forced to make spike proteins that have the exact appearance of the virus and thus your immune system is tricked into developing antibodies to fight COVID should you ever be exposed.” Turnage said that means there is no chance of contracting COVID from the shot. “The takeaway is that once you get vaccinated, you have less than a five percent chance of contracting COVID,” Turnage said. “And if you get infected despite having the vaccine, there appears to be next to a zero chance that you will become deathly ill.”What’s next in the pandemic? Make sure you are signed up for the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter to make sure you’re up to date. It’s not just about the pandemic, but about the greater Charlottesville community as we work through the challenges that we face. Thank you for reading and listening, and please send on to a friend. This is a public episode. 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Today’s shout-out is to the people who have been supporting this work, either through a monthly Patreon contribution for general research, converting to a paid subscription for this newsletter, or contacting me about sponsorship possibilities. The work I’m doing is important for the communities around Charlottesville as we continue to wrestle with many issues. Government is us, and my aim is to convey that complexity as frequently as I can. Please consider what you can do to help me keep the lights on. It’s January 7, 2021 and I’m Sean Tubbs, the host of the Charlottesville Community Engagement Newscast and newsletter. On today’s show:Governor Ralph Northam pledges to speed up vaccine distributionCharlottesville City Police Council holds press conference to address recent violent crimeCharlottesville City Council meets but takes no action This morning the Virginia Department of Health reported another 5,379 cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, and the percent positivity increased slightly to 16.8 percent. Today’s one-day total is just a handful shy of the one-day-record set before.In the Blue Ridge Health District, there are another 159 cases reported today. That’s 70 from Albemarle, 36 from Charlottesville, 15 from Fluvanna, ten from Greene, 15 from Louisa and 13 from Nelson. There are no new deaths reported today in the district. Source: Virginia Department of Health*As the world watched hundreds of angry people break into the U.S. Capitol yesterday, Governor Ralph Northam held his first COVID briefing of 2021 and stated something that is backed up by the data. (watch the video)“The virus is worse now than it has ever been,” Northam said. “Case numbers are about four times higher than they were last spring. We had the highest case number every day and we can expect it to go higher.” Northam said the epidemiological model put out by the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute demonstrates that, but the public version hasn’t been updated since Christmas Day. The governor said it will be a long winter with more threats lurking. “We also need to be clear that new strains of the virus are out there,” Northam said. ”They’re much more contagious than what we’ve seen so far. They’re out in the world and though we’ve not seen it yet in Virginia, it will surely make its way here if not already so.” It’s now been over three weeks since Dr. Ebony Hilton became the first person vaccinated in the University of Virginia Health System, and medical personnel across the Commonwealth are receiving their second dose this week. Many have critiqued the Virginia Department of Health for not distributing shots fast enough, but Northam explained some of the logistical challenges. “It involves highly complex advanced manufacturing,” Northam said. “It requires moving supplies around the world and storing much of it as super cold, sub-zero temperatures. This is complex stuff.”Northam went on to do some math. There are 8.5 million Virginians, and with the vaccines currently approved, most will need two doses. The roll-out will take months.“Right now, Virginia is receiving about 110,000 doses a week,” Northam said. “Our first step is to use up all of that supply, to completely wipe out that supply because we know the supply will be replenished.”Northam set a goal of administering 25,000 shots a day. “And hitting it will depend on manufacturing ramping up and supplies being distributed to states over time,” Northam said. “We don’t have everything we need. No state does because it’s being manufactured literally in real time. That’s consistent with the short-term goal that President-Elect Biden has laid out for our country.” Northam urged patience, and likened the current situation to what was experienced in the early days of the pandemic when Virginia did not have the infrastructure to process tests for COVID. “Back then we were testing about 5,000 individuals a day,” Northam said. “We said we need to double it. We set a goal of testing 10,000 people a day. And we all celebrated when we hit it, and then we kept hitting it over and over again. Today we routinely test double that, or triple that, or even more.”In other words, the infrastructure is being built to add another tool in the fight against COVID. Until then, Northam said doses should not be wasted. This next soundbite is directed at health care providers who have not been able to use all of their allotment.“So I want you to empty those freezers and get shots in arms,” Northam said. “When you have vials, give out shots until they are gone. No one wants to see any supplies sitting unused.Northam said this did not mean that just anyone should get a shot, but that health districts across Virginia should continue to expand efforts to make sure anyone eligible under Phase1A gets vaccinated. The next step in the vaccine roll-out is Phase1B, which will expand distribution to more essential workers who are outside of the healthcare industry. According to a release sent out this morning, Phase 1B will begin in early spring with public safety workers at the top of a prioritization list. “People who work in jobs that keep our society functioning,” Northam said. “People who are at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. And people who can not work remotely.”One of the biggest ongoing crises is the effect on public education. The past ten months have caused a disruption of instruction. Later on tonight, the Charlottesville School Board will get an update from Superintendent Rosa Atkins on current metrics about the pandemic. According to information on the VDH website, “childcare/K12 teachers/staff” are listed as the third category under Phase1B prioritization. “They’re high on the list of essential workers because teachers are critical to getting schools back open and that’s critical to people getting back to work and literally getting back to normal,” Northam said. “Opening schools doesn’t depend on vaccinating teachers but that will sure make it a lot easier.”Further down the list are grocery store workers, food processing workers, those who work with hazardous materials, and those who help others get around. “This group includes bus drivers, and transit workers, the people who run the systems that help other people run the systems that help people get to work,” Northam said. Source: Virginia Department of HealthDr. Danny Avula, the director of Richmond and Henrico’s health departments will be put in charge of the state’s vaccination roll-out. “My hope in this short-term assignment is to come alongside [Health Commissioner Norm Oliver] and this amazing team that is driving this work at VDH to help build some more of those bridges between the work that is happening locally and the work that is happening centrally and really get after vaccinating Virginia,” Dr. Avula said. I’ll continue to cover this as more developments take place. *This morning, Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney held a press conference to update the public on a series of violent crimes in the city and to state that the Police Department needs the community’s assistance to fix the problem. “More than a month ago we stood before you to discuss the unprecedented levels of violence in this community,” Brackney said. “Unfortunately the trend has continued into the New Year. We understand the drivers of systemic violence. We study them. We explore the root causes of community violence to include poverty, exclusion from education or living wage opportunities. We understand institutional supremacy and racism and its effects. Charlottesville does not need another commission, does not need another task force or forum to understand or address violence here.”Chief Brackney said Charlottesville is rich with resources, but that many community voices need to come together to solve problems. “I’m calling on all individuals, all organizations, who have called for change since 2017 to get involved,” Brackney said. “I’m calling on community advocates, influences, organizers, to go beyond Twitter or Instagram, Facebook, your news interviews, podcasts or social mediums to leverage your collective resources. What are you willing to contribute to solve the problem?”Brackney said the community needs tutors, mentors, and people to spend time in communities affected. She said many in Charlottesville are suffering from trauma.  “I have witnessed this community coalesce around issues it cares about,” Brackney said. “Social justice. Police reform. Historical and institutional racism and supremacy. Community violence is an institutional legacy and our children are their inheritors.”But before that, let’s get back to recent incidents. The top three news alerts on the Charlottesville Police Department are for:The arrests of three Georgia men for a shooting this week that put a Fluvanna resident in the hospitalThe December 27 murder of a man at the South First Street public housing complexThe December 24 arrest of a Porstmouth man for a December 17 rape on Madison Avenue Major Jim Mooney, the assistant chief of police, was on hand at the press conference to give some statistics for 2020.“Charlottesville Police Department responded to 195 calls for shots fired so just under 200,” Lt. said. “A hundred and twenty-two of those were confirmed shots fired cases meaning we found evidence of gunfire, shell casings. And in numerous cases there were victims associated with that.” There were four homicides in 2020 and three of those were solved. Mooney said 2021 is not getting off to a good start. “Multiple shots fired calls with a number of cases, some cases 20 plus casings,” Lt. said. “We have people that are shooting wildly and in our cases on Tuesday we had two incidents where apartment buildings were hit and not just one apartment, multiple apartments.  In one of those apartments a woman lay in her bed and the bullet traveled through the mattress. Another woman was struck in the forehead.”Brackney said a long-term approach is needed and that the department needs resources. “It means addressing all of the underlying systemic ills that are going on, and this cannot be laid solely as a burden at the Police Department’s feet and that again is almost how the questions are always formed, is what is our response,” Brackney said. “I can’t do this by myself and neither can this department.”Charlottesville Chief RaShall Brackney*The press conference comes a day after the City Council held two emergency closed sessions to discuss next steps in the search for an City Manager. The second meeting concluded after about three hours with no action. The closed meeting call also invoked state code that allowed discussion of a Councilor’s performance. The Council’s emergency session will resume tomorrow at 1 p.m. * This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Today we have a new Patreon-powered shout-out. The Local Energy Alliance Program wants you to consider a Home Energy Check-Up as the first step toward lowering your energy bills. For a $45 consultation, Albemarle and Charlottesville residents can have their homes audited to see what can be done to reduce energy consumption. Sign up today!”*Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has given his first press conference since he and his wife were diagnosed with COVID-19.“We know that we have been very fortunate that our experience with this disease was mild,” Northam said. “Many other people have not been so lucky and our hearts continue to be with those who have lost loved ones.” As of this morning, there have been 3,381 COVID-19-related deaths in Virginia and over 200,000 nationwide. Northam said that none of his close contacts have been diagnosed with the disease. He attributed this to mask wearing and spoke to the importance of contact tracing. Dr. Danny Avula is the director of the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Districts. “The role of the local health department in every new case of COVID that we have, we follow up that case and we identify when was their onset of symptoms or when was the date of their positive test,” Avula said. Contact-tracers then interview the person to try to identify who they were around. “And we determine who actually met the definition of a close contact, so having spent 15 minutes or greater within six feet of somebody is the epidemiological definition of a close contact,” Avula said. Anyone who meets that definition is now considered to be exposed and they are asked to go into quarantine for 14 days. That’s the period when the virus can incubate in a person’s body. Avula said tracers tracked down 65 individuals across seven health districts who met the definition. None tested positive. *This morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports another 805 cases today, and reported 1,235 yesterday. The numbers of yesterday were made available later than usual due to a communications problem we’ll discuss more in a moment. The statewide seven-day average of positive tests increased to 4.6 percent. There have been 38 cases reported in the Blue Ridge Health District since Monday, with 19 new cases both today and yesterday. A recent spike in new cases has appeared to slow. The seven-day daily average for new cases is now at 8 in Albemarle and 12 in Charlottesville. The seven-day average of positive tests in the district is at 3.6 percent today. Last night the Greene County Board of Supervisors got an update from emergency services director Melissa Meador. That body had not met since September 22. “Our numbers in Greene County stand at 255 as of today,” Meador said. “When we met last met it was at 212 so we are up 43. 12 hospitalizaiton, up 2, and 3 COVID related  fatalities, no change there.”In all there have been 74 fatalities in the Blue Ridge Health District to date. The number of active cases at the University of Virginia is now at 95 people with 74 of those individuals being students. Yesterday, UVA officials announced they would loosen restrictions on gatherings from five people to ten people. They also said that all students living in dorms would be tested on a regular basis, or at least every nine days.Governor Northam said it is crucial to avoid complacency as the seasons change.“We are heading into the colder months and all of the outdoor socializing we’ve been able to do is getting harder,” Northam said. “People are going to be less likely to want to meet up outside when it’s 40 degrees or below.”Northam also announced yesterday that he has signed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday. Legislation passed the General Assembly in the ongoing special session. *Now, about that fiber cut. A federal judge has extended the voter registration deadline in Virginia one day after the line was cut in Chester that served the online system. Several groups ranging from the New Virginia Majority Education Fund to the League of Women Voters filed a complaint asking for an extension, which required judicial action. Here’s judge John A. Gibney Jr.“I will order, as you requested, all registration may occur until 1159 p.m. on tomorrow, October the 15th,” Gibney said, just before thanking the attorneys for working together to allow more people to register.*Today is the first day of operations for the new Greene County Department of Emergency Medical Services. The Greene Board of Supervisors authorized the move in May after the University of Virginia opted to not renew a contract to provide the service for the county. Here’s Melissa Meador again.“All 14 full-time positions are filled and we have hired an additional 13 part-time employees,” Meador said. Supervisors praised Meador and her staff for putting together the department in such a short amount of time. “I went from a little bit of anger earlier this year when the contract was terminated, quickly to awe for what Ms. Meador and her new team has accomplished,” said Supervisor Bill Martin. *The Virginia Department of Health has issued a warning against eating fish caught in the Upper James River due to elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in tissue samples. This affects a stretch of river from headwaters at Iron Gate to Balcony Falls Dam near Glasgow. (press release) *Over 90 percent of the office space has been leased in the Dairy Central project according to an email from the firm Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. In all, the Dairy Central will include 50,000 square feet of Class A office space and 180 upcoming apartments, as well as a food hall. Tenants for office space include the Costar Group and Virginia Humanities. “The Dairy Market targets an opening in late 2020 where Starr Hill brewery will anchor a 16-stall market hall featuring a talented roster of Virginia's leading purveyors, culinary talents and artisans,” the email reads. “Market Hall stalls are entirely subscribed with tenants including cult classics Moo Thru and Take it Away Sandwiches, The Milkman's Bar, and an exciting and diverse lineup of additional tenants.” Today in meetings, The Crozet Community Advisory Committee convenes virtually at 7 p.m. for a meeting that a discussion of a special use permit to amend previous approvals for the private Claudius Crozet Park to allow for a “Community Recreation Facility.” There will also be a presentation on the many projects the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority is planning for the Crozet Area. The RWSA Board of Directors were given this presentation in late August. There’s a capital cost of about $41.5 million in projects to increase capacity and improve safety at Beaver Dam. (slides) Thanks again to LEAP for their Patreon-fueled shout-out. You too can help fund this show and get the word out about a nonprofit, an idea, a cause, or someone’s birthday. For now, you will get four shout-outs a month for $25. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Want the latest updates on COVID-19 in Virginia? Dr. Danny Avula, Director of Richmond and Henrico County Health Departments speaks with Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center. GUEST: Dr. Danny Avula, Director of Richmond and Henrico Health Departments Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

The HLP spotlight shines on Dr. Danny Avula, Director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Departments. Dr. Avula brought the energy, clarity and optimism that we've become accustomed to seeing from him throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The topics of the day were the importance of clear and consistent communication, excellence, the mission of the Richmond and Henrico Health Departments, Dr. Avula's journey to public health, remaining calm during a crisis, what is supplying him with hope during the pandemic and how we can best protect ourselves and others from the coronavirus. Fairfield thanks Dr. Avula and all of the health care workers across Central Virginia and the nation for their courage and persistence in keeping us safe while we have been at home. Support Students and Families During Covid-19: https://henricogives.org/covid19/ Virginia Department of Health: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/ Student-Moderated Website: sites.google.com/henrico.k12.va.us/fairfieldforum/home Fairfield Middle School: fairfield.henricoschools.us/ Original Artwork: 7th Graders Nevaeh and Shayla.. Digitized at Highland Springs High School by Tiana Original Music: Produced by 1st Place Rich via Ed Henderson Jr/ Loyalty Over Wealth Records