Come Home to Norfolk

Team-

This morning the Virginia Department of Health reports 595,865 total confirmed, and probable cases of COVID-19 and 10,060 total deaths related to the virus in the Commonwealth.

The seven-day positivity rate, PCR only, for the Commonwealth is 5.4%.

Norfolk is credited with 15,438 total cases and 227 deaths with an 7.5% seven-day positivity rate, PCR only.

According to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, 1,0,13 residents in Virginia are currently hospitalized due to the virus. Over 49,120 confirmed COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized and discharged.

VDH reports that 1,796,749 people in Virginia have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Over 1,010,519 people have been fully vaccinated.

The Commonwealth has received 3,071,175 doses of vaccine and are administering just over 52,895 doses a day.

To date in Norfolk, 46,424 people have received the vaccine and 14,455 people are fully vaccinated.

For daily vaccine summaries and totals, visit the VDH dashboard.

Current Restrictive Measures: Governor Ralph Northam’s protective measures, Executive Order 72, are still in effect. 

As a reminder, Virginia still requires masks for all Virginians aged five and over to wear masks over their nose and mouth in indoor settings shared with others and when outdoors within six feet of another person.

All employees, not just those in customer facing areas, must also wear masks while working if 6 feet of physical distance cannot be maintained between others.

This is an expansion of Virginia’s mask mandate, which has been in place since May 29, 2020. It is aligned with most recent CDC guidelines, which recommend universal wearing of masks with two layers of fabric that cover the nose and mouth. 

Community Ambassadors: Virginia Department of Health is asking for people to become Community Ambassadors. This is a grassroots effort to build a network of volunteer Community Ambassadors, and they need your help to get this idea off the ground.

As an Ambassador, you'll help share COVID-19 updates and materials from top experts and sources. They need people like you who can spare a few minutes each week to help keep Virginians safe.

Community Ambassadors will help spread the word by reaching out to their friends and family, sharing content on social, forwarding a newsletter, or posting a flyer. The goal is to engage those near you, in small ways which add up to big ways, reaching neighbors and peer groups to classrooms, faith communities and businesses next door.

For more information, visit VDH’s Community Ambassador questionnaire.

Updated Guidance for AFTER you are fully vaccinated: 

The CDC and VDH have updated their guidance for after people are fully vaccinated. You are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

If it has been less than 2 weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are NOT fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

If you are fully vaccinated, CDC and VDH says:

• You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
• You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
  • However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

For more information on this, view this week's Incident Action Plan.

Schools Reopening: Today, some students will return to in-person class instruction based upon the phased-in approached set by the Norfolk School Board. 

Here is the breakdown of the phased approach:

• Phase One: March 1, 2021 - All teachers and staff return to work locations.
• Phase Two: March 15, 2021 – Students with Disabilities (Self Contained), English Learners and PreK-5 students begin hybrid model. Grades 6-12 remain fully online with the current schedule, except for those students previously listed.
• Phase Three: April 12, 2021 - All middle school students begin hybrid schedule. Grades 9-12 remain fully online, except for students in the March 15th phase.
• Phase Four: April 26, 2021 - All high school students begin hybrid schedule.

For more information, visit http://www.npsk12.com/Page/17555 as a resource for the most up-to-date information on the NPS Return to In-Person Plan during this transition.

COVID-19 Vaccine Registration and Call Center: To pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine online through the new state portal, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or you can pre-register by calling 1-877-VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682)

Are you ready to give the gift of life? There are plenty of opportunities for you to give blood this month. Be an American Red Cross Hero by donating blood to help save lives. Click here to view all blood donation opportunities in Norfolk.  If you don’t live in Norfolk, don’t worry, you can search by city and find blood drives near you.

Be safe and have a great week, everyone. 

Daniel 

Daniel Hudson, Deputy EM Coordinator

Norfolk Emergency Preparedness & Response

EOC-Plans@norfolk.gov