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Inova, Novant Health hospitals asking patients with COVID symptoms to test elsewhere, avoid ERs 12/29/2021 06:43am • Two health systems that operate hospitals in Northern Virginia — Inova and Novant — are asking those with COVID-19 symptoms to avoid going to their emergency rooms for testing to make space for patients who need emergency care. Amid a surge of coronavirus cases, Inova's emergency rooms are pr Rapid tests may not be as good with Omicron as other strains, FDA says 12/29/2021 03:42am • ▶ Watch Video: U.S. hits record number of new COVID-19 infections Monday as Omicron variant spreads Rapid COVID-19 home tests are more likely to give a false negative with the heavily-mutated Omicron variant compared to earlier strains, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. COVID-19 surge pushes a Maryland health system into 'contingency protocol' 12/29/2021 01:25am • The number of new COVID-19 cases this month are starting to overwhelm hospitals again. Citing a 325% spike in hospitalizations this month, Luminis Health has declared “contingency protocol” at the two hospitals it operates in the D.C. area. Luminis operates two hospitals in Maryland: Anne Aru Montgomery Co. fire department makes staffing changes due to COVID-19 surge 12/29/2021 12:07am • COVID-19 is causing more emergency services in the D.C. area to alter how they conduct business and staff their departments. For Scott Goldstein, fire chief for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, the omicron variant has heavily affected his department, as more people call out sick due to Smithsonian to temporarily close 4 museums 12/29/2021 12:04am • Four Smithsonian museums in D.C. will be closed Wednesday through Monday to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 infections among staff. The National Museum of African Art, the National Postal Museum, the Anacostia Community Museum and the National Museum of Asian Art (Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur Md. county leaders weigh actions in light of surging COVID-19 hospitalizations 12/28/2021 08:45pm • Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman is urging county residents to get their COVID-19 booster shots, noting that the number of coronavirus hospitalizations in the Maryland county have doubled to 134 within a one-week period. "Three-quarters of those people are not vaccinated" said Pittma Reports: NFL reduces coronavirus quarantine time for asymptomatic individuals 12/28/2021 05:48pm • Reports: NFL reduces coronavirus quarantine time for asymptomatic individuals originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe NFL and NFLPA reportedly have agreed to reduce the quarantine time for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic from 10 day Some 415 Marylanders died from COVID-19 in less than 30 days 12/28/2021 05:11pm • For the first time in nearly a month, the Maryland Department of Health website has included information on the number of deaths across the state. The MDH website shows that at least 415 Marylanders died from COVID-19 between Dec. 4 and Tuesday bringing the state’s total to 11,437, The Associat Virginia adds 165 out-of-state COVID-19 deaths from 2020 12/28/2021 01:15pm • The Virginia Department of Health is updating its COVID-19 death totals for 2020 after learning that 165 residents had died in another state. VDH said it was previously unaware of these deaths when they happened last year because it's dependent on the other states to submit out-of-state death cer Maryland Judiciary shifts operation plans to combat Omicron variant surge 12/28/2021 11:38am • Maryland's judiciary system announced that it will reduce operations and revert to Phase III of its reopening plan starting Wednesday, Dec. 29. This phase will remain in effect until Feb. 8 unless otherwise noted with circuit and district courts in Maryland remaining open to the public. Appellat COVID-19 cases postpone Maryland women's basketball's away game vs. Illinois 12/28/2021 06:55am • The Maryland women's basketball team will end the 2021 portion of the season on a down note as its away game against Illinois has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 results within the Illini program. The matchup was scheduled to be the Terrapins' Big Ten Conference opener and the program's f Montgomery Co. schools ask parents to report kids' COVID-19 cases over winter break 12/28/2021 06:39am • Public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, are asking parents to report COVID-19 cases if their kids test positive for the virus over winter break. The public school system said the request will help them to reopen schools on Jan. 3. Maintaining a safe environment when we return to school Analysis: Omicron looms ominously over NFL's playoff races 12/28/2021 03:02am • Quick, who's your favorite team's backup quarterback? Or the backup's backup? Who's their best pass rushing proxy? Fill-in cover cornerback? What about the substitute snapper or the stand-in blindside protector? Who is, as coaches like to say, the next man up? Now's a good time to get to know DC emergency services see major jump in COVID-19 cases among employees 12/27/2021 11:33pm • D.C. Fire and EMS has seen an increase of COVID-19 cases in its department as the District experiences its own citywide surge. There were 356 D.C. Fire and EMS employees who are currently out of service because of the coronavirus as of Monday, according to D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Jennifer Howard University delays start of spring semester amid COVID-19 surge 12/27/2021 09:36pm • Howard University in D.C. is delaying the start of its spring semester citing, among other things, a rising surge in coronavirus infections. Classes will start Jan. 18 instead, with face-to-face courses scheduled to begin on that date. Formal classes had originally been scheduled to start Jan. 10