This Week From Del. Matt Fariss

Governor Glenn Youngkin took decisive action Thursday in the fight against COVID-19. He is applying an equal mix of science and common sense to fighting COVID-19. The Governor has always been clear that he will never mandate the vaccine, but it will continue to strongly encourage Virginians to get it.

He’s launching a new plan to arrange more resources in the effort to educate Virginians about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. The plan includes Directing the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to re-prioritize resources toward vaccine education and outreach, including expanded efforts in disproportionately unvaccinated communities and plans to host 120 COVID-19 vaccine events across the Commonwealth.

The Governor is also taking decisive action to support hospitals and healthcare providers battling a staffing crisis, overwhelmed not by the severity of the omicron variant but by its preponderance and a burned-out healthcare workforce.

The Governor issued Executive Order #11 to expand flexibility for healthcare providers. The executive order issued includes more providers and expanded options for telehealth than the order issued by the previous administration. The plan will allow hospitals and nursing homes to rapidly expand bed capacity by temporarily waiving regulations. It will ensure appropriate reimbursement for innovative treatment solutions for individuals, including telemedicine, including safe at home programs that allow individuals with mild symptoms to receive care remotely and expands flexibility, overtime hours, and availability for personal care workers.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.