By Shawn Nowlin shawn.nowli@ourvalley.org
The first COVID case in Virginia was reported in March 2020. Within a matter of days, health protocols, discussions about safety and countless employer-employee relationships would never be the same.
As of press time Wednesday morning, Virginia has reported approximately 15,5000 new COVID-19 infections. Currently, more than 1,100 coronavirus cases exist throughout Southwest Virginia.
“We have the tools to fight this disease. Thanks to the gift of vaccinations (and boosters), as well as masking indoors when in public, maintaining six-feet of distance between ourselves and others outside our households, and handwashing – we know what to do,” Dr. Cynthia Morrow, Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts Health Director, said.
Numerous individuals such as Janet Anderson have decided to take at-home tests which returns results in a matter of minutes. “I have family members who are skeptical about pretty much everything COVID related,” Anderson said. “My result was negative which I shared with my family. That decision evolved into a healthy dialogue which was a great start.”
For the next three Tuesdays, potentially even longer, the Salem Civic Center will be hosting a COVID testing event from 3 to 5 p.m. No appointments are necessary.
When people google COVID-19, one of the first things that comes up are precaution recommendations and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the CDC, people with COVID-19 should isolate for five days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by five days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.
Almost 100 percent of COVID-19 cases can be attributed to the Delta variant. Every virus and variant are different. Many healthcare specialists state that Omicron possesses vital mutations capable of possibly outcompeting Delta. The best way for people to protect themselves and their loved ones from all variants remains being vaccinated. Even if people are never infected, the vaccines infiltrate people’s immune systems to prevent the disease.
Nearly 63 percent of the nation’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The overwhelming percentage of new hospitalizations and cases are among unvaccinated individuals.
Over the course of her many years as a healthcare worker, Jamie Wallace says she’s never seen anything like the coronavirus pandemic. “COVID-19 has shown to not care if a person is a Democrat, Republican, Christian, Agnostic, Heterosexual, Homosexual or anything else in between. More than 800,000 Americans of all backgrounds have died as a result of complications from the virus. That death toll alone exceeds the entire population of North Dakota.”
Numerous books about the COVID-19 pandemic have been written. Some of the most recommended are The Plague Year: America in the Time of Covid by Lawrence Wright, Intimations: Six Essays by Zadie Smith, And The People Stayed Home by Kitty O’Meara and How We Live Now: Scenes from the Pandemic by Bill Hayes.
More in-depth information pertaining to Virginia COVID-19 testing, public health monitoring data and much more can be found on the VDH website.
