Virginia
CDC, Va. health officials tout updated COVID vaccine • Virginia Mercury
While respiratory illnesses like the flu typically trend higher in the winter months, COVID-19 is not totally seasonal. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate high or very high levels of COVID nationwide this summer. But with new vaccines expected to be available next month and the winter months on the horizon, medical professionals in Virginia suggest people get their shots sooner rather than later.
“COVID mutates quicker than the flu,” said Heather Harmon-Sloan with Virginia’s Department of Health. “This makes it incredibly important to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine that will be coming out here shortly.”
This is because the newer vaccines — approved last week and expected in September — will be more effective at guarding against the latest variants of the virus. The new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will target the specific strain of the virus that has been attributed to spikes in infections this past spring and summer.
Over 3% of emergency room visitors each week for the past three weeks in Virginia have been diagnosed with COVID-19, a number that has been rising over the summer. And while not every case may lead to an emergency room visit, wastewater surveillance to detect the presence of COVID indicates high levels around the country. Virginia’s latest surveillance shows mostly a plateau around the state with an increase in the Eastern Shore.
“What we’re seeing right now is higher than what we saw this time last year,” Harmon-Sloan said.
She also attributes some of the spikes in cases and emergency visits to the inclination to spend more time indoors amid the summer heat — not unlike how indoor gatherings in the winter contribute to infection spikes.
“Respiratory viruses tend to be able to spread more efficiently when we’re all indoors, especially if we have poor ventilation,” she said.
This is where opening windows, practicing social distancing and mask use can help reduce infection potential, Harmon-Sloan said.
And while the new vaccines should target the same variant that has been driving the summer wave, Harmon-Sloan said that anyone who was infected this summer could consider delaying the new vaccine for about three months.
This is because those people may have a temporary resistance to the strain having just recovered from it, but she still suggests that people speak with their doctors if they’re weighing when they should get their newest shots.
“People overall should get the new vaccine — even if they were vaccinated or were sick with COVID 19 earlier this year,” she said. The vaccine that’s emerging “is going to better target those particular variants that are new, that are in circulation right now in our communities, and the cause for these high trends.”
The CDC will be launching a vaccine locator through the vaccines.gov website. Additionally, President Joe Biden’s administration announced last week that it will once again offer free at-home COVID test kits that people can receive by mail. They can be ordered through covidtest.gov.
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Virginia
Virginia hires Richmond’s Aaron Roussell after Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s firing, investigation
Virginia has its new women’s basketball coach, after a messy ending with its previous one.
The Cavaliers announced Tuesday they had hired Richmond head coach Aaron Roussell to replace the fired Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who was reportedly the subject of an internal investigation over allegations of staff mistreatment. Roussell will be the seventh head coach in program history.
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Roussell had been the Spiders’ head coach for seven years, accruing a 148-72 record and leading them to three straight NCAA tournament appearances since 2024. They notched the first tourney win in their history against Georgia Tech in 2025.
Aaron Roussell has some work to do in Charlottesville.
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
Roussell will not have to travel far for his new job, but he will enter a program facing surprising levels of instability after a Cinderella run in this year’s March Madness.
After entering their first NCAA tournament in eight years, the Cavaliers reeled off wins over Arizona State in the First Four, No. 7 Georgia and No. 2 Iowa to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2000. Then, days after the season ended, the program announced Agugua-Hamilton’s firing in a cryptic “Virginia Announces Leadership Change for Women’s Basketball” statement.
Per On3’s transfer portal tracker, six Virginia players have entered the portal, including last season’s leading scorer Kymora Johnson.
Virginia
Former Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin hints at political future, says he’s ‘chomping at the bit’ after exit
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Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signaled his political career may not be over, telling Sean Hannity he still has “more to give” just under three months after leaving office.
“I have more to give. I just do. The one year of campaigning and the four years of running, so five years, went by in five seconds. It was amazing,” Youngkin said on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast.
In the full episode, debuting Tuesday, Youngkin sat down with the Fox News host to discuss his time in office, as well as what things have been like since his term expired in January.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin addresses the crowd during an early voting rally on Sept. 21, 2023, in Petersburg, Va. (Steve Helber/AP)
“Every morning [when I was governor], I woke up literally bounding out of bed, ready to roll, and that was the most purposeful I’ve ever felt in my whole life.“
Youngkin oversaw a range of conservative measures passed in the state, including a push to ensure age-appropriate curriculum in public schools.
SPANBERGER SIGNALS LEFT BENT AFTER CENTRIST CAMPAIGN; GOP LEADER WARNS OF ‘FAIRFAXING THE REST OF VA’
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger responds to President Donald Trump’s unseen State of the Union address. (Steve Helber/Reuters)
He also pushed for tax cuts, including efforts to reduce the state’s grocery tax, rolled back COVID-19 restrictions early in his tenure and emphasized tougher public safety policies.
His time in office concluded earlier this year, when Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration succeeded his.
“I’ve been out of office for six weeks. I took [my wife] Suzanne on vacation, which she so deserved. She’s been amazing. I think she’s of the best first ladies in America,” he said.
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“But six weeks has felt like six years… You’re chomping at the bit.”
While Youngkin stopped short of outlining specific plans for the future, his comments suggest he is keeping the door open to a return to public office.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Virginia
Denver police arrest man suspected in fatal shooting on E. Virginia Avenue
Denver police have arrested the man they believe was responsible for a fatal shooting on E. Virginia Avenue on Thursday afternoon.
According to an arrest affidavit, the Denver Dispatch Center received a 911 call around 12:35 p.m. to report a shooting in the 10100 block of E. Virginia Ave. The caller told dispatch workers that a white SUV was fleeing the scene.
Responding officers found a man who was critically wounded. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Investigators reportedly discovered a handgun, the victim’s cellphone and money in the area where the shooting happened. They also located surveillance footage in the area, which appeared to show the victim exiting a white Chevrolet Tahoe as gunshots could be heard. He walked to the east, looking for help, before collapsing on the ground.
The affidavit says a conversation was discovered on the victim’s Instagram account in which he was speaking with another person who was selling a firearm.
Aurora police assisted investigators using the Flock License Plate Reader system, identifying the Tahoe at several locations. Police said the vehicle had unique characteristics on the passenger rear wheel. The affidavit says that, before the shooting, the vehicle had a rear license plate, but after the shooting, it was missing.
Investigators found the vehicle, executed a search warrant and found a fired cartridge case in the back seat. A person connected to the case reportedly told officers that he drove his friend, later identified as Daniel Puga Villegas, to meet a person to collect money from him. However, he says an argument took place, and Villegas shot the victim, then ripped off his temporary rear license plate and, while still holding the gun, told him to drive.
Villegas was arrested on Sunday with assistance from the APD and is facing charges of first-degree murder.
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