Good morning, RVA: 5,387 • 35; vaccines; and yesterday was a lot.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 30 °F, and, today, the sun will rise. At points yesterday, it felt like that was not a given. Expect highs near 50 °F and lots of sunshine.

Water cooler

As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 5,387 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 35 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 496 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 131, Henrico: 221, and Richmond: 144). Since this pandemic began, 574 people have died in the Richmond region. Both statewide and locally, this is the most new cases ever reported in a single day, and Richmond tallied its 100th death due to COVID-19. Yet, at his press conference yesterday, the Governor did not introduce new restrictions, policies, or guidance to help contain the virus as it surges out of control—he simply reminded people to wear a mask, keep their distance, and wash their hands. The majority of the briefing was about vaccination, and he announced a couple major updates.

First, according to the VDH vaccine dashboard, 2,204 Virginians are now fullyvaccinated with both of the required shots. So cool, and, more than anything else, seeing that number move up from zero makes me feel like we’re moving into a different (and closing) phase of the pandemic.

Second, the Governor set a goal of “vaccinating 25,000 Virginias each day when supply allows.” I have absolutely no idea how that goal trickles down to each locality and local health district, but here’s some stupid math. 25,000 is about 0.3% of the Commonwealth’s population. Combined, Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield have a population of 906,600, and 0.3% of that is 2,720. So, if our region wants to meet “our share” of the 25,000 per day goal, we need to see 2,720 people vaccinated each day—or 19,040 people each week. Over the last seven days, Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield have administered 7,266 doses according to data I’ve been pulling from the VDH dashboard (which I think lags a bit). So we’re already at least a third of the way there, which, honestly, feels pretty good to me. I know every second feels like forever, every week goes by in a flash, and our sense of timing is all screwed up, BUT it really only has been about three weeks since folks started getting vaccinated in Virginia.

Third, VDH has settled on who makes up Phase 1b of their vaccination distribution plan. I don’t know that I’ve talked about the phased approach to vaccination that most states have adopted—probably worth writing about further! But, in brief, Phase 1a—the phase we’re in right now—consists of hospital workers, long-term care residents and staff, and non-hospital frontline healthcare workers (PDF). Phase 1b, announced yesterday (PDF), is frontline essential workers, people 75-years and older, and folks living in correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and migrant labor camps. What’s a frontline essential worker? Great question! Here’s the list, sorted by priority, which is made up of some fairly specific groups and some hugely broad groups: police, fire, and hazmat; corrections and homeless shelter workers; childcare, K–12 teachers, and staff; food and agriculture (??); manufacturing; grocery store workers; public transit workers; and mail carriers. Of course, I think public transit workers should be near the top of that list as they’re the ones who get a lot of these other essential workers to their essential work, but that decision is above my pay grade. The governor expects this group to start getting vaccinated “near the end of January.” We’ll probably hear a lot more about how folks find out what phase they’re in, how you get notified when it’s your turn, and all sorts of other details in the coming days and weeks.

Yesterday was a lot. I didn’t expect that Democrats winning both Senate special elections in Georgia—giving Democrats control of the House, Senate, and Presidency—to be second-page news by the time dinner rolled around. But a coup happened, or, as the Washington Post puts it “President incites crowd to acts of insurrection, violence.” Yesterday, I spent about eight hours in front of the TV, scared, watching…whatever that was, and I still don’t have the right words to describe what I saw or what I’m feeling or what I think should happen next. As I struggled to put words to it, a good friend described the events as “Deeply shocking—and it’s important not to be numb to that.” I think that’s where I am—deeply shocked—and I’m going to acknowledge that and just sit with it for a while. The WaPo has this (deeply shocking) photo essay from yesterday’s mob violence if you’d like to join me in sitting with it.

Graham Moomaw at the Virginia Mercury says that panel of judges picked the eight citizen members of the redistricting commission. You should definitely recognize at least one name on this list: Better Housing Coalition CEO Greta Harris!

OK. I know there’s a lot going on right now, and maybe equitable transit isn’t at the top of your mind. If it is, or if you wish it were, you can join RVA Rapid Transit and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network today at 12:00 PM for a lunch-and-learn situation about “Transit Oriented Development for an Equitable Future.” Del. Ibraheem Samirah and Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth will speak on affordable housing, public transit, and land use—all things I love! Register before the (free) event here.

Despite increased vaccine availability, COVID-19 testing continues—as it should! Today, the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts will host a community testing eventfrom 10:00 AM–12:00 PM at Diversity Richmond (1407 Sherwood Ave).

This morning’s longread

The Poke Paradox

Here’s a unrelated longread about fish to cleanse your palate.

Not long ago such gritty details were kept secret, and depending on the distributor and where they source their fish, often still are, but thanks to robust certification programs launched by nonprofits like Monterey Bay Aquarium and WWF, which require regular third-party audits, the seafood supply chain is becoming demystified. That’s led to greater consumer awareness and increased customer demand for even more transparency. Bushman doesn’t just embrace that, she also promotes it. After all, almost all raw tuna served in the U.S. arrives frozen, not fresh, so what’s the point in pretending otherwise? The container ship allows for a smaller carbon footprint than air freight, another aspect of the business tracked by Bushman, who is helping to strip the secrecy and shame from the seafood business.

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