Monday, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $14,857,347 in federal funding to strengthen the commonwealth’s response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The funding, awarded through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) cooperative agreement, was made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was supported by both senators.
“We are glad to know that the Virginia Department of Health will be able to count on this federal funding to help assess the effects of COVID-19 in the commonwealth and strengthen the fight against this virus,” said the senators in a prepared statement..
Specifically, the funding may be used by the Virginia Department of Health to establish or enhance the ability to aggressively identify cases, conduct contact tracing and follow up, as well as implement appropriate containment measures. It can also be used to improve morbidity and mortality surveillance, enhance testing capacity, control COVID-19 in high-risk settings and protect vulnerable or high-risk populations, as well as help healthcare systems manage and monitor system capacity.
