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Coronavirus

Active COVID cases again above 11K in West Virginia

PARKERSBURG — Active cases of the COVID-19 have exceeded 11,000, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said on Thursday. Cases totaled 11,017, an increase of 1,539 cases from Wednesday when the state reported 9,478 active cases of the virus. The last time active cases of the virus were in the 11,000 range was the first of October. While cases have been trending upward, the pandemic highmark for active cases was 29,744 on Sept. 16. The number of active cases in Wood County increased by 35, from 281 to 316 on Thursday, in the 24-hour period from Wednesday to ...

Health officials: 18 omicron cases detected in West Virginia

CHARLESTON — Eighteen cases of the omicron variant have now been detected in West Virginia, according to the latest statistics Department of Health and Human Resources. None are in this region and half of the cases, nine, were found in Berkeley County in the Eastern Panhandle, according to the department. The omicron mutation of the original COVID-19 virus is considered more contagious than the delta, which also is more contagious than the original. Omicron has been found in six counties, Berkeley, Fayette, Harrison, Kanawha, Marion and Monongalia counties. With nine cases in ...

Justice responds to Biden comments, nursing concerns

CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice responded Tuesday to remarks made by President Joe Biden regarding COVID-19 response and concerns raised by representatives of West Virginia’s nursing community regarding plans to train new nurses. Justice was on a conference call Monday with Biden and the ...

W.Va. reports 28 new COVID deaths

From Staff Reports CHARLESTON — Since Monday, 28 COVID deaths were reported by the West Virginia Department and Health and Human Resources in its Tuesday update. As of Tuesday, the DHHR reported 8,604 active cases in the state and 5,288 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Through the Bureau for Public Health’s data reconciliation, a 70-year-old man from Wood County was reported as a COVID death. “The continued loss of more lives due to this pandemic weighs heavily on all of us, with the greatest sadness borne by family and friends,” Bill J. Crouch, DHHR ...

Two MOV deaths added to COVID total

From staff reports PARKERSBURG — Two people from the Mid-Ohio Valley region are among the latest people whose deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. An 82-year old male from Wood County and a 70-year old female from Roane County were among nine deaths reported Monday by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. “We mourn the loss of more West Virginians lost to this pandemic,” said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR cabinet secretary. “If you have not yet been vaccinated, I urge you to schedule an appointment or visit one of our pop-up sites to protect yourself and ...

West Virginia AG readies new lawsuit to fight vaccine mandate

CHARLESTON — As earlier COVID-19 vaccine mandate lawsuits get their day before the U.S. Supreme Court in two weeks, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is readying another lawsuit to block mandates. The U.S. Supreme Court set Friday, Jan. 7, for oral arguments for COVID-19 vaccine mandates for businesses with more than 100 employees and for healthcare workers. The announcement was made Wednesday evening. “If the Court interprets the law correctly, we will win,” Morrisey said on Twitter Wednesday night in response to the announcement. West Virginia is one of ...