Resources for learning about and navigating COVID-19.
Per the World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and
recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.
Earlier this year, the Virginia Nurses Association sponsored HB1985, which created a COVID-19 workers’ compensation presumption specifically to benefit healthcare workers who as part of their employment are directly
involved in the diagnosis or treating of patients known or suspected to have COVID-19.
More specifically, the bill requires a diagnosis from a physician, nurse practitioner, or PA and a positive COVID test, except that prior to July 1, 2020 when testing availability was limited, a positive test or a diagnosis
is sufficient to receive workers’ compensation benefits. The patient must also present or have presented with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medical treatment.
A healthcare worker must avail
themselves of an employer offered vaccine once available in order to maintain the benefit of a presumption, unless their physician determines in writing that it would pose a significant risk to their health.
If you or someone you know would like a file a claim to receive workers compensation benefits, please click here to download the form.
More information about this legislation can be found here. If you have any questions related to this legislation, please contact
VNA Communications Manager Elle Buck at ebuck@virginianurses.com.
Vaccines save millions of lives each year. Vaccines work by training and preparing the body’s natural defenses --- the immune system--- to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. If the body is exposed
to those disease-causing germs later, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness.
None of the authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you
sick with COVID-19.
There are several different types of vaccines in development. All of them teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These
symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19.
It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19
just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
Getting vaccinated is one of many steps you can take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Protection from COVID-19 is critically important because for some people, it can cause severe illness or death.
Stopping
a pandemic requires using all the tools available. Vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. Other steps, like masks and social distancing, help reduce your
chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.
(Information taken from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fvaccines%2Fabout-vaccines%2Fhow-they-work.html)
Per the CDC, the Delta variant is currently the predominant strain of the virus in the United States. Below is a high-level summary of what CDC scientists have recently learned about the Delta variant. More information will be made available when more data are published or released in other formats.
Infections and Spread
The Delta variant is more contagious: The Delta variant is highly contagious, more than 2x as contagious as previous variants.
Some data suggest the Delta variant might cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated persons. In two different studies from Canada and Scotland, patients infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalized than patients infected with Alpha or the original virus strains.
Unvaccinated people remain the greatest concern: Although breakthrough infections happen much less often than infections in unvaccinated people, individuals infected with the Delta variant, including fully vaccinated people with symptomatic breakthrough infections, can transmit it to others. CDC is continuing to assess data on whether fully vaccinated people with asymptomatic breakthrough infections can transmit. However, the greatest risk of transmission is among unvaccinated people who are much more likely to contract, and therefore transmit the virus.
Fully vaccinated people with Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others. However, vaccinated people appear to be infectious for a shorter period: Previous variants typically produced less virus in the body of infected fully vaccinated people (breakthrough infections) than in unvaccinated people. In contrast, the Delta variant seems to produce the same high amount of virus in both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people. However, like other variants, the amount of virus produced by Delta breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people also goes down faster than infections in unvaccinated people. This means fully vaccinated people are likely infectious for less time than unvaccinated people.
Vaccines
The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, including against the Delta variant. But they are not 100% effective and some fully vaccinated people will become infected (called a breakthrough infection) and experience illness. For such people, the vaccine still provides them strong protection against serious illness and death.
Masks
Given what we know about the Delta variant, vaccine effectiveness, and current vaccine coverage, layered prevention strategies, such as wearing masks, are needed to reduce the transmission of this variant.
At this time, as we build the level of vaccination nationwide, we must also use all the prevention strategies available, including masking indoors in public places, to stop transmission and stop the epidemic.
Vaccines are playing a crucial role in limiting spread of the virus and minimizing severe disease. Although vaccines are highly effective, they are not perfect and there will be vaccine breakthrough infections. Millions of Americans are vaccinated, and that number is growing. This means that even though the risk of breakthrough infections is low, there will be thousands of fully vaccinated people who become infected and able to infect others, especially with the surging spread of the Delta variant. Low vaccination coverage in many communities is driving the current rapid and large surge in cases associated with the Delta variant, which also increases the chances that even more concerning variants could emerge.
Here you will find Virginia specific COVID-19 information and resources, including VDH's COVID-19 Dashboard, where you can track the current number of COVID cases in the commonwealth as well as the number of hospitalizations and vaccinations. Downloadable provider materials and volunteer opportunities are also included below.
Are you or someone you know struggling to deal with the emotional tolls of the last 18-months of the pandemic?
If you believe someone is at imminent risk of harming themselves and is refusing help or you have reason to believe someone has harmed themselves, call 911.
If you or a nurse you know is in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for confidential support 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 or visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/.
If you or a nurse you know needs a safe space to talk openly and confidentially about self care, recovery, wellness, and resilience, use the Happy app (https://www.happythemovement.com/) or call the Happy hotline at 833327-0-ANA
For more resources on well-being in the wake of COVID-19, visit the ANA Well-Being Initiative: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus/what-you-need-to-know/the-well-being-initiative/
For more resources on COVID-19-related PTSD, visit: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/covid/
Happy App - Confidential calls that connect you with compassionate listeners. Talk openly about self-care and wellness, recovery and resilience—24/7, from the comfort of home.
Narrative Expressive Writing - Journal through your experiences with our five-week guided writing program. Responses are anonymous, and all are reviewed and responded to by trained professionals.
Moodfit Mobile App - Prioritize and track sleep, nutrition, exercise, and more—right from your phone.
A Nursing State of Mind Podcasts - In this podcast series, two veteran nurses discuss coping mechanisms with practical ideas to renew our energy, confidence, and passion for nursing.
Coronavirus Online Therapy - Pro-bono or low-fee online sessions with a therapist for frontline and essential workers.
Talkspace Online Counseling - Text, audio or video calls with a licensed therapist. Download the Talkspace app and register with your NPI and/or work badge for 50% off your first month.
Addressing Clinician Mental Health - Evidence Based Strategies that Work!presented by Judy E. Davidson DNP, RN, MCCM, FAAN | Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN | Sharon Tucker, PhD, RN This webinar is brought to you by the Virginia Nurses Association and the Virginia Nurses Foundation. During this webinar we will explore the impact of the pandemic and other factors on the mental health of nurses and discuss strategies to promote resilience and support colleagues. We will delve into how to identify a colleague in a mental health crisis and use appropriate communication strategies to support them through these stressful situations. Presenters will discuss how you can implement a suicide prevention program in your workplace to ensure the mental health of nurses and other clinicians are fully supported.
Extreme Self-Care for Extreme Times presented by Dr. Eileen O’Grady, School of Wellness Virginia nurses, who are, or soon will be put into overwhelm may need a space to have their experiences validated. Attendees will explore strategies to preserve themselves during this unprecedented COVID pandemic. Strategies will be presented by a Virginia nurse practitioner wellness expert and will include ways to approach complexity and chaos, how to practice self-leadership and extreme self-care, no matter the circumstances.
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