President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after traveling to Massachusetts to give a speech on climate policy. Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the president is taking antiviral drug Paxlovid and experiencing “very mild symptoms.” The plan, she said, is for Biden to quarantine in […]
COVID-19
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Remembering Those We Have Lost
The Public’s Radio’s podcast Mosaic has a series of community essays. This essay is by Doctor Michael Fine, a writer, community organizer, and family physician. On June 25th 2022, Rhode Islanders came to the installation of the Covid-19 Memorial, 3605 white flags on the statehouse lawn, to honor and mourn 3605 fellow Rhode Islanders, 36 of […]
Posted inArticle, Health
Departing interim health director: R.I. public health needs a booster
Rhode Island Interim Health Director Dr. James McDonald is stepping down later this month. He spoke with Health reporter Lynn Arditi about the pandemic and challenges that lie ahead. [This transcript has been edited.] Arditi: Dr. McDonald, your decision to step down as the Health Department’s interim director comes at a time when we’ve seen […]
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A neighborhood clinic in Providence, R.I. opens the country’s first COVID-19 test-to-treat center
Rhode Island will launch the nation’s first federally funded COVID-19 test-to-treat center at a storefront clinic in Providence, Governor Daniel J. McKee and White House COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha, announced Thursday. Clínica Esperanza, in the city’s Olneyville section, will allow eligible residents who have no insurance coverage to get the antiviral Paxlovid at no […]
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Rhode Island’s top health official: No more mask mandates, just recommendations
Rhode Island this week reported the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the country, according to The New York Times. Driven by the rise of the more contagious Omicron subvariant, known as BA.2, the average daily increase in new COVID-19 cases in Rhode Island during the last two weeks has more than doubled, although […]
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RI’s CharterCare hospitals performed elective surgeries while turning away patients from their ERs
During this winter’s COVID-19 surge, hospitals across Rhode Island and Massachusetts suspended all but the most urgent surgeries to free up staff and beds to care for the influx of patients. But not CharterCare Health Partners, which operates Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center. Even when their emergency departments were so […]
Posted inArticle, Health
R.I. eases COVID-19 quarantine guidance for child care programs
Rhode Island will allow children who have been exposed to COVID-19 to attend child care programs as long as they are asymptomatic starting March 14, according to new guidelines announced Friday by Governor Dan McKee. The change, which incorporates the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is aimed at protecting health […]
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McKee to leave masking up to school districts starting March 4
Rhode Island will lift its statewide indoor mask and proof-of-vaccination requirements for businesses and other indoor public places beginning this Friday (2/11), Governor Daniel J. McKee said Wednesday. The governor also plans to end the statewide masking mandate in schools on March 4. That would leave it up to school districts to decide whether or […]
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Life On Hold: Hundreds of people in R.I have surgeries delayed
Harry and Lorraine Sterling have been enjoying a kind of extended honeymoon since they married four years ago. They found each other on an internet dating site for seniors. They are regular theatre-goers. And though they are both in their 80s they still love to travel. This winter, they planned to hitch their red Mini […]
Posted inArticle, Health
Dr. James McDonald tapped as interim health director as McKee searches for permanent replacement
Dr. James McDonald, a state medical director who heads the board of licensure and discipline, will serve as interim director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, Governor Daniel J. McKee announced Thursday. McDonald, a pediatrician, will assume the day-to-day operations of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, who is stepping down from the directors’ post […]
