In a social media post dated Thursday, January 21, the Greenbrier County Health Department stated, “It is with great regret that we announce our forty-seventh COVID-19 death. We lost a 69-year-old male resident due to complications of the virus. We offer our sincere condolences to his family.”
A similar post, also from Thursday, reads, “The Summers County Health Department regretfully reports its 20th COVID-19-related death. No other information will be released at this time. Please keep the families in your thoughts and prayers.”
In addition to the GCHD’s statement, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports that there have been seven more COVID-19-related deaths and 998 new cases of the virus identified within the last 24 hours.
Among those confirmed deceased are a 64-year-old Barbour County man, an 86-year-old Mercer County woman, a 92-year-old Kanawha County man, an 84-year-old Cabell County woman, a 74-year-old McDowell County man, a 97-year-old Hancock County woman and an 84-year-old Pendleton County woman.
The total number of West Virginians who have died as a result of complications stemming from COVID-19 is now 1,856.
A total of 19,137 laboratory COVID-19 tests were performed statewide on Thursday, bringing West Virginia’s seven-day testing average to 15,533. In all, 1,820,409 laboratory tests have been conducted in the Mountain State since the onset of the pandemic. There are currently 25,342 active cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia. The daily positivity-rate is 4.93% and the cumulative positivity-rate is 5.52%. Thus far, 35,991 residents have been fully vaccinated.
In a second social media post, the GCHD said, “Effective immediately: When entering the State Fair of West Virginia for a scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointment at any of our Community Vaccination Clinics, you must adhere to the new traffic pattern identified on the map. Please enter the fairgrounds using the 219 North gate only and follow the marked route to our registration checkpoint. Gates will not open prior to 8:00 a.m. and traffic will not be permitted to backup on 219 prior to opening. You must have an appointment to enter the fairgrounds. Thank you for your continued cooperation.”
The Fayette County Health Department and the Summers County Health Department are advising residents to call Greenbrier County’s vaccination-hotline to be placed on their schedule. Currently, neither Fayette County nor Summers County has vaccines available. The phone number for Greenbrier County’s vaccination-hotline is 304-664-4147.
The DHHR’s color-coded county alert map looks drastically different than it did just seven-days ago. As of Friday, January 22, there are only 15 West Virginia counties designated as red. However, with an infection rate of 105.26% and a percent positive of 13.92%, Pocahontas is among them. Greenbrier, Monroe and Summers Counties are all designated as orange. Fayette County has been downgraded to gold and Mercer County has been downgraded to yellow.
At present, 638 residents are hospitalized with COVID-19, including 167 who are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit and 88 of whom are being assisted through ventilators. The W.Va. DHHR reports that 86,417 West Virginians who had previously tested positive for the virus have since recovered.
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