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| Paige Bordwine (right), southwest regional epidemiologist for the Virginia Department of Health, talks about COVID-19 testing at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke. [Virginia Tech] |
If the positive trends continue, Northam said at an April 24 briefing, “I would like to see us go into phase one on May 8 but certainly no sooner than that.”
Phase one on the path toward recovery includes the reopening of some businesses with strict rules in place. Social distancing and teleworking will continue, and face coverings will still be recommended in public.
Phase one won’t happen until the percentage of positive tests moves downward over 14 days, the number of hospitalizations decreases over 14 days, there are enough hospital beds and intensive care units, and the supply of personal protective equipment increases.
The daily number of COVID cases in Virginia is still rising but the growth rate is slowing, Northam said. The case count had been doubling every three days. Now it’s taking nine days to double.
As of April 24, there were 11,594 cases in Virginia, including 596 new cases, and 410 deaths, Health Commissioner Norman Oliver reported.
While hospitalization rates remain flat, 1,600 patients with COVID have been treated successfully and discharged.
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Northam said getting to phase one calls for “greatly increasing our testing, then tracing the contacts of people who test positive and isolating these individuals.”
Virginia labs are doing about 4,000 tests a day, and the goal is 10,000 a day, which could happen within the next couple of weeks.
Previously the priority for testing focused on healthcare workers and hospitalized people, said Dr. Karen Remley, former health commissioner and co-chair of a state working group on COVID testing. Now testing is being expanded to people at high risk, including those with chronic disease, pregnant women, babies of women with COVID, and the uninsured and underinsured.
Northam convened a working group made up of representatives of large and small businesses across the state to make recommendations on the easing of restrictions. There will be overarching rules for businesses in general, as well as guidance for restaurants and non-essential retail.
“For business to resume, both customers and employees must feel safe,” Northam said.
“We will not lift restrictions the way you turn on a light switch. We will do it responsibly and deliberately,” he said. “Easing too much too soon could jeopardize public health and consumer confidence.”