In the midst of a swine flu pandemic, should guests at a wine-tasting party share a single glass? A version of that question faces many Hampton Roads churches, where congregants sip from a shared Communion cup. A Georgetown University doctor warns against such a practice, but it's routine during Communion in Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran churches.

NORFOLK The number of H1N1 flu vaccine doses coming into Virginia is nearing the 1 million mark this week, and emergency visits for the flu have dropped slightly. Those were the headlines State Health Commissioner Karen Remley delivered Thursday during a news media briefing on the pandemic H1N1 flu, or swine flu, at the Norfolk Department of Health.

VIRGINIA BEACH A special H1N1 vaccination clinic for Virginia Beach children who are home-schooled and those residents who attend private schools, child care centers and colleges will be conducted Saturday at Larkspur Middle School.

Angela Mefford's cough early last week seemed run-of-the-mill.
Her husband said he figured it was caused by a change in the weather, or a simple cold. Then the 27-year-old mother of two developed a fever, and last Wednesday she went to the emergency room at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center.

RICHMOND Concerns about swine flu have added at least one more burden to already harried officials prepping for Election Day. Voters heading to the polls can expect to see hand sanitizer available and might notice some differences in the way precincts are set up. It's all aimed at reducing the transfer of germs during a peak period of seasonal illness, officials said.

NORFOLK Teacher Melissa Knightes strummed a guitar and began to sing. "Goodbye, Carrington. Goodbye, Carrington. Are you going to have a good night?" "Yeah!" replied the 9-year-old girl in the hot pink wheelchair.

Local hospitals and doctors' offices are reporting a steep increase of feverish patients this week, a sign that the swine flu is in full swing. "We've all been hearing a lot about it, and now it's here - there's no question about it," said Dr. Arno Zaritsky, executive medical director at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.

Several cities have suspended school-based clinics for the swine flu vaccine this week because they have run out of the vaccine and are awaiting more doses.

VIRGINIA BEACH Virginia Beach residents who attend private schools, colleges and universities, day-care centers and those who are home-schooled will be able to receive the swine flu vaccines at a special clinic on Thursday.

By Sheri Fink |  ProPublica New York state health officials recently laid out this wrenching scenario for a small group of medical professionals from New York-Presbyterian Hospital: