VA Coronavirus: Field Hospital Sites Could Be Ready In 6 Weeks

Emily Leayman
Updated ·5 min read

VIRGINIA — Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday he accepted final recommendations from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for three field hospital sites in response to the new coronavirus. The sites in the Richmond area, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia could be ready six weeks from now. State officials are eyeing May as the time a surge of COVID-19 cases hits the Commonwealth.

The three hospital field sites are the Dulles Expo Center, the Richmond Convention Center and the Hampton Roads Convention Center. The Dulles Expo Center replaces the Exxon Mobil site across from Inova Fairfax Hospital as the field hospital site for Northern Virginia. Northam said the Dulles Expo Center is the site "where construction can proceed the fastest."

The Dulles Expo Center could accommodate 315 acute care or 510 non-acute care hospital beds. The Richmond Convention Center could accommodate 432 acute care or 758 non-acute care beds, and Hampton Roads Convention Center could host 360 acute care or 510 non-acute care beds.

The next steps for the field hospitals will be awarding contracts, moving to design and construction.

"These facilities will be to free up capacity in the existing hospital system," said Northam at a Friday press conference. "Our models look at...the month of May as being the time when the surge will be most likely to occur."

Northam gave an update on one of the long-term care facilities hit hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak. Henrico County's Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center has reported 16 resident deaths and 92 individuals who tested positive. All of its residents have been tested. Among the positive cases, 53 individuals showed no symptoms.

"This demonstrates how absolutely critical it is that everyone stay home and stay away from other people," said Northam. "Because people can have this virus without knowing it or feeling sick."

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On Monday, Northam issued a stay-at-home order for residents to stay home except for essential purposes. Northam said residents do not need documentation when traveling for an essential purpose, but a violation of the 10-person gathering ban is a misdemeanor. Among the exceptions to the stay-at-home order include obtaining food, medical and essential social services, taking care of other individuals or animals and exercising outdoor under social distancing guidelines.

As the religious holidays of Easter, Passover and Ramadan approach in April, the state issued new guidance to places of worship. Northam encouraged places of worship to utilize virtual and drive-in services.

Dr. Norm Oliver, state health commissioner, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated Virginia as a state with widespread community transmission. As of Friday, the Virginia Department of Health reported 2,012 positive COVID-19, which includes 312 hospitalizations. The state has reported 46 deaths. So far, 19,005 people have been tested in Virginia.

The Fairfax Health District reported 372 cases, the most in the state. The next highest numbers are 135 in Arlington County, 131 in Prince William County, 130 in Loudoun County, 128 in Virginia Beach, 112 in Henrico County and 104 in James City County.

President Donald Trump approved Gov. Ralph Northam's request to declare a major disaster in Virginia on Thursday. It followed federal authorization on March 27 for Title 32 funding to support the Virginia National Guard, which is moving supplies and helping with other emergency duties. Northam said the major disaster declaration provides additional federal funding for equipment and supplies, and it allowed for emergency funding to help the homeless.

On Friday, Northam announced $2.5 million in emergency funding for the homeless or those relying on shelters that require them to leave. The funding also supports individuals in shelters that may need to be quarantined, or where social distancing is not feasible. The funding will be used for hotel and motel vouchers, case management, food, cleaning supplies and medical transportation.

The state received its third shipment of personal protective gear from the national stockpile, Northam said Thursday. With equipment availability remaining a challenge, Northam called on businesses to make donations. Interested businesses can email private.sector@vdem.virginia.gov.

State officials are also monitoring economic impacts of the coronavirus situation. Last week, 114,104 people applied for unemployment benefits, and Northam expects a higher number for the next week. As the higher demand caused users to experience problems with the state's unemployment website, the website's server capacity and call center staffing have been expanded. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor will allow independent contractors, gig workers and sole proprietors to be eligible for unemployment.

Northam said the coronavirus has major implications for the current fiscal year and next fiscal year's budgets. While state anticipates significantly less revenue, Northam says the state's response to coronavirus will require funding for personal protective equipment purchases, hospital space and aid to Virginia residents. Northam directed state agencies to eliminate discretionary spending for the current fiscal year and prepare for budget cuts in the next fiscal year. Budget experts were asked to reevaluate funding for new initiatives. The Virginia General Assembly had approved the two-year budget in March and returns for its reconvened session on April 22.

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This article originally appeared on the Del Ray Patch