This Just In: The U.K. variant arrives; staffing agency wants RI to pay up

Also, a special tribute for injured hockey player AJ Quetta. [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Tuesday, February 16 [An illustration of the novel coronavirus [CDC via AP]]( [This Just In: U.K. variant arrives; staffing agency wants RI to pay up]( Also, a special tribute for injured hockey player AJ Quetta. Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal, and I guess it might be time for me to upgrade my mask. It was perhaps inevitable, and now it's happened: a coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdom — which is believed to be more infectious and more lethal — [has been identified in three patients in Rhode Island](. The Department of Health so far has provided few details about the three patients, except that two are from Newport County, and one is from Providence County. Health Department officials are urging Rhode Islanders to consider purchasing higher-quality masks, to wear the masks that they do have correctly, and to be mindful of social distancing. But they are not yet recommending any new restrictions on economic activity. [In his weekly Providence Journal podcast]( which was recorded before the news that the so-called U.K. variant had arrived in Rhode Island, Dr. Ashish Jha said the different COVID variants circulating in the United States are "scary," but expressed confidence that vaccines will be effective in confronting them. He said it was key to keep infection rates as low as possible in the meantime. The Rhode Island Department of Health [reported 10 more coronavirus deaths and 285 additional cases]( of COVID-19. The seven-day new-case average is at its lowest point since Oct. 25. But Rhode Island finds itself [at the back of the pack]( when it comes to the percentage of residents who have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and in the percentage of vaccine doses received that have been administered. A Warwick staffing agency that helped provide contact tracers and case investigators to the Department of Health says the state of Rhode Island [owes $275,000 on invoices dating to last summer](. The agency's owner says that as a result, she had to max out a line of credit to make payroll. The state Department of Administration acknowledges that it has had recent payment delays affecting multiple vendors and says it is "working around the clock" to address them. In very sad news out of Providence, the family that owned Davis Dairy on Hope Street [has decided to close the business permanently](. The one-of-a-kind kosher market suffered a devastating fire in May. AJ Quetta, the high-school hockey player from North Providence who was seriously injured in a game last month, [is being transferred to a rehab facility in Atlanta](. This morning, outside Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Quetta's teammates at Bishop Feehan High School lined the walkway and raised their hockey sticks in tribute as Quetta was led out of the facility. It's not all that common for a freshman to lead a varsity high-school basketball team in scoring. But in Barrington, it's happening on both the boys and the girls team. [Eric Rueb has the story]( on emerging stars Matt Raffa and Dani Ceseretti. You've still got a couple days left to take advantage of our [Presidents Day sale]( get a digital subscription for $1 a month for six months.  Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, [please encourage a friend to sign up]( [Discover more with our newsletters: Get the latest headlines, things to do and more in your inbox. Sign up here.]( [click here]( Problem viewing email? [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( • [Manage Newsletters]( • [Terms of Service]( • [Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights]( • [Privacy Notice]( • [Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy]( • [Feedback]( © 2021 75 Fountain St. , Providence, RI 02902