VA Working With Amazon, Vendors On Coronavirus Supplies: Northam

RICHMOND, VA — With hospitals no longer facing shortages of personal protective equipment across Virginia, the state is now making testing sites for the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, and local health departments top priorities for receiving protective equipment, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday at a news conference in Richmond.

"Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have worked to build up the supply of PPE in Virginia," Northam said. "We're now at a place where our hospitals have an adequate supply."

The Virginia Emergency Support Team has been responsible for purchasing and distributing PPE to people across the state. The team has distributed almost 794,000 N95 masks, 1.3 million surgical masks, 3 million gloves, 285,000 gowns, 427,000 face shields and more than 24,000 containers of hand sanitizer, Northam said.

Testing sites across the state are the top priority for the state's supply of PPE. Local health departments across the state also are coordinating with urgent care centers, dialysis centers, skilled nursing facilities and hospice centers to determine their PPE needs.

"Our direction has been that health care providers should exhaust their private supply chains before requesting state assistance," Northam said.

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But the governor also emphasized that no one treating COVID-19 patients will be refused PPE from the state if they have run out of supplies from the private sector.

The Virginia Department of General Services has established a review process for vendors selling COVID-19-related supplies. The department has published a list of vendors who have offered supplies and services geared to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northam also said Virginia is working with Amazon to ensure health care providers get purchasing priority. At the federal level, FEMA is shipping PPE supplies directly to nursing homes, he added.

During the news conference, Northam said his administration has allocated $58 million of the money Virginia received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to ramp up contact tracing. The Virginia Department of Health is seeking to hire 200 new communicable disease investigators and 1,000 contact tracers.

The Virginia Department of Health reported 763 new cases of the coronavirus and 33 new deaths Wednesday, bringing the cumulative totals to 32,908 cases and 1,074 deaths.

The state health department is supporting a number of large-scale testing events in Northern Virginia. Drive-thru and walk-up testing events were held in Prince William County on May 18 and 19, and a Leesburg event was planned for May 20. Free community testing will be held on May 23 and 24 in Annandale and Bailey's Crossroads, two areas of Fairfax County with high cases numbers.

Northam announced he is forming a working group to examine ways to increase access to affordable health care among Virginians, especially vulnerable populations.

Research from the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, commissioned by the Northern Virginia Health Foundation, identified 15 "islands of disadvantage" in Northern Virginia where people face serious challenges dealing with the coronavirus.

The "islands of disadvantage" need to be at the forefront of fighting the coronavirus in Northern Virginia, Dr. Steven H. Woolf, a researcher and professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, said Tuesday during a teleconference with reporters sponsored by the Northern Virginia Health Foundation.

With regard to Tuesday's town elections across the state, Northam said 55,000 people voted by absentee in the elections compared to 1,700 absentee ballots cast in the 2016 town elections.

Northam said the Virginia Department of Elections has already started sourcing PPE for the June 23 primary election. Mail-in absentee ballots are available for request until June 16 to vote ahead of time.

As for whether Northern Virginia will be able to begin the state's reopening plan on May 29, Northam said he is in daily communications with leaders in Northern Virginia over when the region can enter phase one, but that no date has been set.

Last week, Northam approved requests from Northern Virginia officials, the City of Richmond and Accomack County to delay their implementation of phase one of the governor's plan to ease restrictions related to the coronavirus. Instead of starting implementation last Friday, the jurisdictions may enter phase one of the state's Forward Virginia plan no earlier than Friday, May 29.

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• NoVA's 'Islands Of Disadvantage' At Greatest Risk Of Coronavirus