The first Pfizer vaccines for children between ages 5-11 will be available in the Charlottesville area on Saturday. The vaccine received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week. Multiple local organizations will have the pediatric dose, but health officials say supplies will be […]
Author Archives: Jessie Higgins
I'm Charlottesville Tomorrow's managing editor and health and safety reporter. If there’s something you think we should be investigating, please email me at jhiggins@cvilletomorrow.org! And you can follow all the work we do by subscribing to our free newsletter! Hablo español, y quiero mantener a la comunidad hispanohablante informada. Si tienes preguntas o información que debo saber, por favor, envíame un correo electrónico a jhiggins@cvilletomorrow.org.
Posted inGovernment and public institutions
ELECTION RESULTS: Wade, Pinkston win Charlottesville City Council, Paige keeps Albemarle County School Board seat
While the governor’s race was called in favor for Republican Glenn Youngkin after midnight, locally, the Democratic-leaning city and county saw Democratic candidates ward off independent or new challengers.
Posted inHealth and safety
Health district won’t have enough Pfizer vaccine for all children 5-11, prioritizing ‘high risk’
The local Blue Ridge Health Districts expects to begin immunizing children between ages 5-11 within two weeks — but there won’t be enough of the smaller pediatric doses for all area kids. At least not right away. “We’re asking for a little patience in the beginning,” Dr. Denise Bonds, director of the Blue Ridge Health […]
Posted inHow we learn
In her bid for a fifth term on Charlottesville School Board, Leah Puryear says she brings experience and commitment to empowering children
Leah Puryear has served as a member of Charlottesville School Board for more than 15 years. She decided to run in 2006 after a troubling encounter at a school board meeting. “There was a presentation I wanted to hear,” Puryear recalled. “A group of children came out and they happened to know who I was. […]
Posted inHow we learn
Lisa Larson-Torres wants to continue equity work in second term on Charlottesville City School Board
Lisa Larson-Torres knew when she was elected chair of the Charlottesville City School Board in January 2021 that the job would be difficult — she just had no way of knowing how difficult. When she took the position, City Schools was entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A few months later, Larson-Torres led the […]
Posted inGovernment and public institutions
City officials wrestle with how to pay for a long-anticipated new $75 million middle school
Charlottesville city leaders are preparing to dig deep in the city’s budget — and raise local taxes — in order to build a new $75 million middle school within the next five years. The City Council this week gave the green light for the school division to finalize its plans for the new, state-of-the-art facility […]
Posted inGovernment and public institutions
Charlottesville will accept offers for Confederate monuments until Oct. 15
The City of Charlottesville will accept offers for its statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson for two more weeks. The deadline for entities wishing to take possession of one or both of the statues is now Oct. 15. The city began accepting offers shortly after it voted to remove the […]
Posted inHealth and safety
Scientists at UVA believe they have found the key to creating a universal coronavirus vaccine
Right now, a handful of scientists around the world are trying to create a universal vaccine that would protect against this — and all future — coronavirus pandemics. The problem they face is that viruses are constantly mutating. It’s a simple technique they use to outfox immune systems. As the immune system learns to identify […]
Posted inHealth and safety
UPDATE: Local health district is taking appointments for Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots
COVID-19 booster shots received final federal authorization on Thursday.The approval is limited to people who are 65 and older, people with underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk of becoming seriously ill or dying if they contract COVID-19, and people whose jobs put them at increased risk of exposure.The federal agencies say those […]
Posted inHealth and safety
Final approval on COVID vaccine booster shots may be coming later this week
While the Virginia Health Department continues planning to roll out long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine “booster shots,” it now appears those shots will only be available to certain higher risk individuals. A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Friday voted to authorize boosters of the Pfizer vaccine to individuals 65 and older and those who are […]
