VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Governor Ralph Northam stopped by Virginia Beach on Thursday to hear from Hampton Roads doctors and nurses on the front lines of the pandemic.
They came together for a round table that was put together by Jody Wagner, a mayoral candidate running against Mayor Bobby Dyer in the fall.
“People I talk to go, ‘This isn’t a big deal because I don’t know anyone who has COVID,'” said a Virginia Beach nurse. “And I am like, 'Come to work with me, and I will show you.'”
Some noted COVID’s indirect impacts. A dentist said basic healthcare is going by the wayside.
“We get in some of these patients, they maybe came in with no cavities,” said Dr. Elleni Kappor. “Now all of a sudden, they have 10!”
Others believe there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding the virus. Ophthalmologist Dr. Kapil Kapoor worries support for the vaccine is lacking.
“There is a lot of mistrust,” said Dr. Kapil Kapoor. “You ask a lot of people, would you take the vaccine? A lot say if it were fast tracked, we wouldn’t. Many say if it’s fast tracked before the election, we definitely wouldn’t.”
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Northam urged Virginians not to become complacent as flu season nears.
“Today we still had over 1,100 positive cases,” Governor Northam said. “So, the virus is still out there. So, everybody needs to remain vigilant. They need to follow the guidelines, despite the mixed messages that we are getting from Washington.”
He said personal protective equipment and testing numbers are up, but the pandemic is also shining a light on healthcare inequities.
“We are using telehealth a lot now in healthcare,” Governor Northam said. “Well, there are over 500,000 households in Virginia that don’t have access to broadband. We are putting over $80 million in our budget.”
Above all, those gathered said their patients just want the pandemic to end.
Dr. Cynthia Romero, the director of the M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health at EVMS, called for solidarity.
“We are all suffering in this strange pandemic," Romero said. "Hopefully we can help each other be stronger through this, mentally and physically.”