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Coronavirus

COVID concerns force closure of Blennerhassett Middle School

PARKERSBURG — Blennerhassett Middle School is closed today due to COVID-19 exposure among students, according to Wood County Superintendent Will Hosaflook. According to the COVID dashboard on the Wood County Schools website, as of Wednesday, Blennerhassett Middle School had 15 positive cases. Officials will be doing contract tracing and as schools are closed Monday for Labor Day, parents will be updated on the status of the upcoming school week. “We apologize for this inconvenience. Wood County Schools is doing everything it can to provide a safe learning environment for our ...

Wood County at nearly 800 COVID cases

CHARLESTON — Active cases of COVID-19 were one shy of 800 in Wood County while more than 1,600 new cases were recorded statewide between the Wednesday and Thursday pandemic updates by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. The department reported 799 active cases in Wood County, where the number was in the teens a little more than a month ago. Cases have steeply jumped across the state in the last month and were at 18,177 on Thursday with 1,632 new cases received in the 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday morning. The highest number of active cases was ...

BrAva Mom Prom canceled over ongoing pandemic

MARIETTA — The 2021 BrAva Mom Prom to raise funds for pediatric cancer research has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said on Wednesday. The event was scheduled for Sept. 24 at the Washington County Fairgrounds and all tickets will be refunded, according to BraVa Vice President Erin Roberts. “While it pains us greatly to cancel the 2021 BrAva Mom Prom, we must prioritize the safety and well-being of the immunocompromised children of our BrAva mothers who are honored guests each year at BrAva Mom Prom,” Roberts said. A week ago, planners believed the 2021 ...

West Virginia COVID ventilator cases surpass January peak

CHARLESTON — The number of hospital patients in West Virginia on ventilators due to COVID has surpassed its January peak, state officials said Wednesday. James A. Hoyer, director of the state’s Joint Interagency Task Force, reported that, as of Wednesday morning, 109 COVID patients were on hospital ventilators throughout West Virginia. The state previously peaked at 104 on ventilators on Jan. 10, he said. The most recent numbers on Wednesday indicate there are 670 hospitalized in West Virginia due to COVID, and that about 200 are presently in intensive care units. “Our peak ...

COVID mandates under scrutiny in West Virginia

CHARLESTON — As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increase in West Virginia, some are calling for a special session to ban vaccine mandates and vaccine passports, and legislative leaders are seeking guidance from the state’s top attorney, a mandate skeptic. House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, ...