Dr. Noelle Bissell, Director of the New River Public Health District, told the assembled media Monday at her regular press conference that the number of new COVID cases in the district is declining, following a trend both statewide and across the country, and that Montgomery County isn’t seeing any effects from the college football games, also a trend that is holding true across the country.
“There will still be local pockets of higher transmission, and some states have not yet peaked (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, West Virginia),” she said. “We aren’t seeing a sharp decline because our vaccination levels are high enough to have prevented the exponential rise and fall, but are not high enough to have prevented the surge.”
The health district director told the press that Montgomery County hasn’t seen any effects from the college football games, and said, “Across the country, college football communities are finding this to be true. Outdoor transmission of COVID-19 is rare. We also have to remember that correlation is not causation,” Dr. Bissell said. “Just because someone attended an event and was diagnosed with COVID does not necessarily mean they contracted it at the specific event.”
Dr. Bissell also told the media, “Cases among school-aged children have peaked and are declining in that population as well. This makes sense, as 70% of transmission is in households.
“As you know,” she said, “Our hospitalizations lag behind new cases by a number of weeks. This morning our hospitals reported 70 COVID cases and two persons under investigation awaiting test results. Our hospitals are at capacity with some at 100% or more holding patients in the emergency departments.
“They are operating at normal function, but there is no wiggle room. We need everyone’s help to relieve the stress on our hospitals. Don’t go to the emergency room for a test or for routine health care. Get vaccinated. Avoid risky behavior that might cause injuries. And if you get COVID and are at risk of hospitalization, please seek the monoclonal antibody treatment.”
Dr. Bissell went on to warn, however, “Even though our new case numbers are starting to decline, we are not out of the woods. We continue to ask everyone in the community to practice mitigation strategies, including wearing masks inside when not at home, washing hands, and avoiding crowded unventilated spaces.
“The best tool we have is vaccination,” she said. “Please continue to encourage family and friends to get vaccinated. The vaccines are safe and they work. They are very effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death.
Dr. Bissell also reported what she called “the big news this week”: Booster shots are available for some people who completed their second Pfizer shot at least 6 months ago. People 65 years and older, residents of long-term care settings, and people aged 50-64 with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot. People 18-49 with underlying medical conditions and people 18-64 who are at increased risk for exposure because of their occupation may receive a booster shot.
“These booster shots are for Pfizer recipients only. We expect Moderna booster shots to be authorized in the next few weeks after the FDA reviews their data. To my knowledge, Johnson & Johnson has not yet submitted the paperwork for boosters, so that would be later. We do also expect Pfizer authorization for 5-11 year olds in the coming weeks and will work with our schools, pediatricians, and pharmacy partners to make the vaccine available and convenient.”
Dr. Bissell said that in the New River Health District, no large vaccination events for booster shots are being planned. We have adequate vaccine supply and many locations to get the vaccine. We have increased access through the Health Department, and our pharmacy partners continue to vaccinate robustly as do our pediatricians’ offices.
“To get a vaccine, people can visit one of our health department clinics, visit a local pharmacy, or find a vaccine through vaccinefinder.org. You may also call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682). Our health department clinics are from 8:30-3:30 daily. We are at Montgomery County Health Department Monday, Thursday, and Friday. We are at Floyd on Tuesday, Pulaski and Giles on Wednesday, and Radford on Friday. Please call for an appointment. Phone numbers and locations are posted on our NRVroadtowellness.com website.
Lastly, please plan on getting a flu vaccine this year. People getting COVID boosters can get their flu vaccine at the same time. We do expect flu this year and have already seen some cases.”
