[Summit] Recent Messages, charts & video from the Governor and CVS -- Front-Line report, Hospital capacity, Unified Testing portal & the Vaccine [Covid News no. 395[

Mon Nov 16 03:26:52 UTC 2020

 If you didn’t see Gov. Raimondo’s press briefing on Thursday afternoon, I highly recommend watching the video below with a very sobering first-hand report from Dr Laura Forman of Kent Hospital’s emergency department.
Have a good week,
Dave

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Gina Raimondo <communications at governor.ri.gov>To: 
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020, 5:30:52 PM ESTSubject: Weekend Recap: Hospital Capacity, Upgraded Testing Portal, and the Vaccine

| Your RI COVID-19 News Update |
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| Hi David,
Cases are rising drastically, and it's more important than ever that we all stay informed. Please, stay home except for essential activities, and wear a mask anytime you’re with people you don’t live with. Together, we can turn our case numbers around.
If you know someone who needs a way to stay up-to-date on the latest measures Rhode Island is taking to stop the spread of COVID-19, please encourage them to sign up for these emails through this link: lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/eYMG9tf. The better we all stay informed, the better we'll be able to keep ourselves, our families, and our friends safe from COVID-19. |

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HOSPITAL CAPACITY
Our emergency rooms are being pushed to their limits, and the pain and suffering in our hospitals and our communities is significant. Our case numbers and hospitalizations are skyrocketing, and our hospitals are near their capacity.
It's impossible to overstate the enormous strain this puts on the brave first responders working in our hospitals. Our healthcare workers are not immune to the virus. Many of them have been working nonstop for months, they’re tired, and they and their families are bound by the same requirements as everyone else to isolate and quarantine when necessary. Please, think of these nurses and doctors who are putting their health and wellbeing on the line every day before you decide to go to a large social gathering or take your mask off around people you don't live with. |

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UPGRADED TESTING PORTAL We’ve been working to make testing as accessible as possible, bringing it into communities, in local health clinics, in doctor’s offices, and in public buildings. But there hasn’t been one clear process for getting your results. Now, we’ve changed that. To make getting your test results easier, we've made it possible for all Rhode Islanders to get your results from a single place, no matter how you scheduled your test.
Right now, Rhode Islanders can access test results by going to portal.ri.gov/results. It doesn’t matter if you scheduled through the state’s portal, if you went through the K-12 system, or if you were tested at a doctor’s office. When you log in, you will go through a two-factor authentication using the phone number or email you provided at the time of your test. Remember, if your results come back positive, immediately isolate yourself and reach out to your close contacts. Don’t wait for a call from the Department of Health to begin this process. |

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VACCINE
We got a glimmer of good news this week when the Pfizer vaccine trial's initial results showed 90% effectiveness. We're not there yet, but we're hoping to have the vaccine in Rhode Island for some limited, higher-risk groups before the end of the year, with the vaccine becoming more widely available during the first few months of 2021.
We'll hold this vaccine to the same standards as any other, and our COVID-19 Vaccine Subcommittee will do an extra layer of review, on top of all the safety reviews that will be done on the national level. |

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| I hope you find this recap informative. Please, remember your three W's: wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance. Together, we can stop the rising case numbers and save lives if we just band together now and follow the rules.
I'll be back on TV with more updates Wednesday at 1 p.m.
We're all in this together.
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19. If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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|  Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903  |
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| Thu, Nov 12 at 9:01 PM 
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| Hi David,
Our emergency rooms are being pushed to their limits, and the pain and suffering in our hospitals and our communities is significant. Our case numbers and hospitalizations are skyrocketing, and our hospitals are just weeks away from reaching capacity. This is the beginning of what could be a devasting second wave in our state, and we need to face the fact that this will be the consequence if we don’t change our behavior. So today, I want you to hear directly from those on the frontlines what it’s like to be working in an emergency room right now, what they’re seeing and feeling, and what we can all do to help.
I was joined at today’s press conference by three Rhode Island emergency physicians: Dr. Selim Suner, Director of Disaster Medicine and Emergency Preparedness at Rhode Island Hospital; Dr. Otis Warren, an emergency physician at Miriam Hospital and President of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians; and Dr. Laura Forman, the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Kent Hospital.
Please, take a few minutes to watch Dr. Forman describe the conditions our frontline medical workers are facing. |

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| It's impossible to overstate the enormous strain this puts on the brave men and women working in our hospitals. This surge is coming at a tough time. Our healthcare workers are not immune to the virus. Many of them have been working nonstop for months, they’re tired, and they and their families are bound by the same requirements as everyone else to isolate and quarantine when necessary. This puts a strain on staffing levels, and that’s going to be even harder if we have to go into our surge capacity, and certainly if we open the field hospital. Please, think of these nurses and doctors who are putting their health and wellbeing on the line every day before you decide to go to a large social gathering or take your mask off around people you don't live with.
In order to provide some relief to those on the frontline of the pandemic, we’re asking every health care provider – every doctor and nurse across the state – to consider lending a hand. If you are willing to take on a hospital shift, please go to SkillsForRI.com and sign up. We need your help.
We're all in this together.
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19. If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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 Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903
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Fri, Nov 13 at 7:02 PM 
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| Hi David,
We’ve been working to make testing as accessible as possible, bringing it into communities, in local health clinics, in doctor’s offices, and in public buildings. But there hasn’t been one clear process for getting your results. Now, we’ve changed that. To make getting your test results easier, we've made it possible for all Rhode Islanders to get your results from a single place, no matter how you scheduled your test. |

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| Right now, everyone in Rhode Island can access your test result by going to portal.ri.gov/results. It doesn’t matter if you scheduled through the state’s portal, if you went through the K-12 system, or if you were tested at a doctor’s office. When you log in, you will go through a two-factor authentication using the phone number or email you provided at the time of your test. Remember, if your results come back positive, immediately isolate yourself and reach out to your close contacts. Don’t wait for a call from the Department of Health to begin this process.
Now is not the time to let our guard down. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and we all need to rally together for the next few months in order to get there. Let’s recommit ourselves right now to following the rules in order to keep ourselves, our families, and our neighbors safe until we have a vaccine. It won't be easy, but I know we can do this together.
We're all in this together.
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19. If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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 Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903

Fri, Nov 13 at 7:33 PM 
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|   Your health remains our top priority.   |

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|   As America has struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult to find a path toward health.

Over the last few days, that path became a little clearer. We are closer to having an authorized vaccine to treat COVID-19.

Still, the question that so many of us have is “How would I get that vaccine?”
CVS Health® has entered into a contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We were selected as one of the official COVID-19 Vaccination Program Providers.

The United States government will make a supply of the COVID-19 vaccine available to CVS Health when authorized and available to administer in pharmacies nationwide. We will offer it to the public through our 10,000 locations, following established vaccine prioritization guidelines.

CVS Health is already working to enable administration of the vaccine once it is available for pharmacies nationwide.

We are proud of and thankful for the efforts of our pharmacists, nurse practitioners and pharmacy technicians. They have served many communities across the U.S. and helped conduct nearly 7 million COVID-19 tests. We know they stand ready to do the same thing when COVID-19 vaccinations are available.

 We are still in a global pandemic and there are so many questions. Stay informed on our response.   |

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