The total number of deaths in West Virginia stemming from complications relating to COVID-19 have now reached 457. Since the time of the WV Daily News’ last reporting, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has confirmed the deaths of 14 additional residents.
Among the deceased are a 70-year old Summers County man, a 76-year-old Logan County woman and a 90-year old Wetzel County man. Also confirmed deceased are two Kanawha County residents; a 79-year old man and an 84-year old man, three Fayette County residents; a 62-year old man, a 73-year old man and an 89-year old woman, two Monongalia County residents; an 82-year old woman and an 83-year old man, and four residents of Cabell County; a 55-year old man, a 78-year old man, a 91-year old man and a 93-year old woman.
“With a heavy heart, we share this solemn news of more lives lost to this pandemic. We extend our sympathies to the affected families,” DHHR Cabinet Secretary said in a statement posted on the DHHR website.
According to the CDC, as of 12:32 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, there have been 9,024,298 total cases within the United States since January 21 of this year, 554,322 of which have been identified within the last 24 hours. The virus is now spreading more quickly than at any point previously. There have been 229,109 American deaths due to complications stemming from COVID-19. 1,009 American lives have been taken by the virus within the last seven-days. Every state in the country, as well as most American territories have reported significant increases in new cases in the last seven-days.
West Virginia has identified 2,598 new cases in that period. Only the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia have seen no new cases of COVID-19. To put this in perspective; if the coronavirus pandemic were to be viewed as the United States fighting a war, then this war has already claimed more American lives than the combined total of every war fought over the last 75 years.
It has been widely reported that the COVID-19 virus is most dangerous to the elderly population. However, no one is immune to the disease, regardless of which age-group they belong to. Thus far, the CDC reports that 38 deaths have occurred in children four-years old and younger and 69 deaths have occurred in children between the ages of 5 and 17. The rate of death becomes more and more prevalent in older groups, culminating at 54,894 total deaths among those aged 85-years and above.
In West Virginia, at 2.93%, the cumulative positivity-rate continues to inch towards 3%. Governor Jim Justice has previously stated that should the cumulative positivity-rate reach 3%, additional shut downs and stay-at-home orders may be put back back into effect. As of Sunday, November 1, the daily-positivity-rate is 3.64%, and 423 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified within the last 24 hours. West Virginia has 5,415 active cases, with 240 of those infected currently hospitalized. 76 individuals are being cared for in the ICU and 29 are being treated with ventilators. There have been a total of 22,919 confirmed cases statewide since the onset of the pandemic, and 19,011of those infected have recovered.
Monroe County’s cumulative positivity-rate is 3.45%. 7,212 laboratory tests have been performed within the county, and 249 confirmed cases have been identified. If the county’s 17 probable cases are factored in, the cumulate positivity-rate becomes 3.69%. Eight residents of Monroe County have died due to complications of COVID-19.
Free COVID-19 testing in Monroe County will be available on Monday, November 2, at the Monroe County Health Department, located at 200 Health Center Drive in Union, testing hours are from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m.; Tuesday, November 3, at Shrewsbury Funeral Home, located at 111 Market Street in Peterstown, testing hours will be from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m.; On Wednesday, November 4, testing will be available once more at the Monroe County Health Department, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.; and on Thursday, November 5, testing will move back to Shrewsbury Funeral home between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.; and on Friday, November 6, free testing will be available at the Alderson Volunteer Fire Department, located at 109 Railroad Avenue. Testing hours will be from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m.
