Governor Raimondo and Dr McDonald from the Rhode Island Department of Health held their daily coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) press briefing today at 1 pm.
What’s Up Newp will carry it live, and provide updates, as it happens below.
Press Briefing
Updates from Press Briefing
- Gov: Press Briefing will take place at 3 pm tomorrow, 1 pm every day the remainder of the week.
- Gov: Reminds Rhode Islanders to continue to practice social distancing, use contact tracing notebook.
- Gov: Rhode Island is working in collaboration with seven other Northeast states to form regional purchasing consortium to buy PPE (more on this below).
- Gov: Sunday is Mother’s Day, even if Stay At Home Order is lifted later this week, your plans should not be to gather on Sunday. There will still be restrictions.
- Gov: On April reading challenge -more than 21,000 students logged more than one million minutes of reading in April.
- Dr. McDonald – Oakland Grove Health Center in Woonsocket is now a COVID-19 center for patients who leave the hospital but need care before returning home. This is the second COVID-19 specialty nursing home in RI. The other being Oak Hill Center.
- Dr. McDonald – Of the 24 new deaths, 18 in nursing homes. Ages – 1 in 30s, 3 in 40s, 1 in 50s, 1 in 60s, 2 in 70s, 8 in 80s, and 8 in 90s.
The Latest Local Data
May 3rd: 188 new positive cases (total now 9,477), 24 new associated fatalities (total now 320), 330 currently hospitalized, 83 currently in ICU, 59 on ventilator.
Press Release from Governor Raimondo’s Office
Rhode Island Joins Regional Supply Collaborative, New COVID-19 Specialty Nursing Home
Governor Gina M. Raimondo provided updates on Rhode Island’s response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) today.
- Regional Collaborative: Today Rhode Island joined a multi-state collaborative to purchase personal protective equipment and other medical supplies. The coalition of states, including Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, will identify regional need for medical supplies, work together to reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain.
- Second Nursing Home Named as a COVID-19 Specialty Nursing Home: To support Rhode Island’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor and Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) announced that Oakland Grove Health Care Center, in Woonsocket, has become the State’s second nursing home to become a COVID-19 specialty nursing home. Along with previously named Oak Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center in Pawtucket, Oakland Grove will accept patients who are being discharged from the hospital and who are COVID-positive but no longer require acute-level care. This strategy allows COVID-positive patients leaving the hospital to receive specialized rehabilitation and step-down, post-acute care while reserving hospital beds for patients who need acute-level care. Current Oakland Grove residents who do not have COVID-19 symptoms will be located in a separate unit of the facility.
COVID-19 Data Update
Rhode Island has 188 new cases of COVID-19. This brings Rhode Island’s count to 9,477. Rhode Island also has 24 new fatalities to announce. Rhode Island’s number of COVID-19 associated fatalities is now 320. A full data summary for Rhode Island is posted online.
Key messages for the public
- Anyone who is sick should stay home and self-isolate (unless going out for testing or healthcare).
- The people who live with that person and who have been in direct close contact with that person should self-quarantine for 14 days after the last day that that person was in isolation. Direct close contact means being within approximately 6 feet of a person for a prolonged period.
- Help is available for people living in quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. Visit www.RIDelivers.com [ridelivers.com] for connections to groceries, home supplies, restaurants, and mutual aid groups. People can also call 2-1-1.
- When people are in public, they should wear a cloth face covering. A cloth face covering is a material that covers the nose and mouth. It could be sewn by hand or improvised from household items such as scarves, T-shirts, or bandanas.
- Groups of more than five people should not be gathering. Always avoid close personal contact with other people in public.
- Healthcare workers should not be going to work if they are sick (even with mild symptoms).
- People who think they have COVID-19 should call their healthcare provider. Do not go directly to a healthcare facility without first calling a healthcare provider (unless you are experiencing a medical emergency).
- People with general, non-medical questions about COVID-19 can visit www.health.ri.gov/covid, write to RIDOH.COVID19Questions@health.ri.gov, or call 401-222-8022. This is the COVID-19 Hotline that RIDOH has available to the public.
- Everyone can help stop the spread of viruses in Rhode Island.
- Wash your hands often throughout the day. Use warm water and soap. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Cough or sneeze into your elbow.
- Stay home and do not leave your house if you are sick, unless it is for emergency medical care.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
The following press release was received from Governor Ned Lamont’s (CT) office – Governor Lamont, Governor Cuomo, Governor Murphy, Governor Baker, Governor Raimondo, Governor Wolf, and Governor Carney Announce Multi-State Agreement to Develop Regional Supply Chain for PPE and Medical Equipment
(HARTFORD, CT) – Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, and Delaware Governor John Carney today announced a joint multi-state agreement to develop a regional supply chain for personal protective equipment, other medical equipment and testing.
While the states will continue to partner with the federal government during this global and national public health crisis, they will also work together to identify the entire region’s needs for these products, aggregate demand among the states, reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain. The states will also coordinate policies regarding the inventory of PPE each state’s health care infrastructure should have to be prepared for a possible second wave of COVID-19. The states will also coordinate policies on what supplies local governments should have on hand for their first responders, and if any requirements regarding PPE for the nonprofit and private sector are needed.
The states will then seek to identify suppliers within the country, region or state who can scale to meet the demand of the entire region over the next three months. The goal of this approach is to decrease the potential for disruptions in the supply chain for PPE and medical equipment, including sanitizer and ventilators, and testing, and promote regional economic development.
In addition, the states are discussing how to collectively explore emerging technologies on an ongoing basis to take advantage of the potential associated with alternative methods of production for existing products and innovation that would lead to more effective and/or less expensive alternatives. For example, 3D printers may represent an attractive alternative to manufacturing certain personal protective equipment and medical products.
Governor Lamont said, “With global supply chains continuing to experience a major disruption due to the pandemic, combining the efforts of our states into a regional purchasing initiative will help our states obtain needed PPE and other medical equipment without competing against each other. I’ve long been advocating for the federal government to get involved because pitting all 50 states against each other to compete for these supplies has never made any sense. Partnering with our neighbors helps make our purchasing power stronger and more dependable.”
Governor Cuomo said, “The COVID-19 pandemic created a mad scramble for medical equipment across the entire nation – there was competition among states, private entities and the federal government and we were driving up the prices of these critical resources. As a state and as a nation we can’t go through that again. We’re going to form a regional state purchasing consortium with our seven northeast partner states to increase our market power when we’re buying supplies and help us actually get the equipment at a better price. I want to thank our neighboring states for their ongoing support, generosity and regional coordination on these important efforts.”
Governor Murphy said, “Our states should never be in a position where we are actively competing against each other for life-saving resources. By working together across the region, we can obtain critical supplies as we begin the process to restart our economies, while also saving money for our taxpayers. This concept is at the heart of the regional approach we’ve established.”
Governor Baker said, “Massachusetts looks forward to working with other states to identify more options for PPE procurements for our health care workers and public safety personnel.”
Governor Raimondo said, “Our healthcare workers should never have to worry if we have enough PPE to keep them safe. Over the past two months, we’ve been scouring the earth for supplies and have worked hard to meet the demand on the frontlines. We know that, in order to safely reopen the economy, we need a long-term supply of PPE for all critical infrastructure workers. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with states across the region in order to build and maintain a steady, reliable and affordable supply of PPE.”
Governor Wolf said, “By working together we can combine our strengths to build the capacities we all need. We can exploit our market size to encourage producers to make what we need, we can exploit our financial strength to give that encouragement added weight, and we can exploit the great research institutions and the brainpower in our region to increase our chances of success. I look forward to working with my fellow governors—and my neighbors-to build a strong regional supply chain.”
Governor Carney said, “We need a consistent approach for moving our states out of this crisis, and that includes ensuring a sufficient supply of PPE and tests. I’m thankful for this coordination with my fellow governors in the region. We’ll be better positioned to continue tackling this crisis working together with the states around us.”
This story is developing, check back for updates.