VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent federal aid to Virginia Beach in order to find more ways to stave off the spread of COVID-19 which has taken a considerable toll on the city and the Hampton Roads region as a whole.
The COVID-19 Response Assistance Field Team, otherwise known as CRAFT, was sent to the city on Monday on behalf of the HHS.
The group's focus is to determine the best ways to reduce the impact of the virus based on current data and health metrics.
The high caseloads that have been reported Hampton Roads make the area one of the main drivers of case growth statewide. Cities like Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Newport News have reported case numbers well over 100 within the last several days.
A public affairs spokesperson with FEMA tells us that the purpose of the group is to validate the data, meet with community groups and determine possible root causes of the high numbers while assisting local leaders in devising a plan of action.
The CRAFT team is supposed to talk with hospital health care providers as well as public and mental health stakeholders in the community to determine trends that are contributing to the drastic rise in cases.