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No COVID-19 deaths reported during 24-hour period

Staff Report

CHARLESTON — The state of West Virginia on Monday morning reported a second 24-hour period without a confirmed fatality from the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The death toll as of Monday morning from the virus stands at 399 since the pandemic began, according to the Department of Health and Human Resources.

The department in its Monday update on the pandemic said there have 687,025 total confirmatory laboratory results received for the virus with with 20,293 total positive cases, an increase of 221 since 10 a.m. Sunday.

Three deaths were reported confirmed Saturday morning in the 24-hour period from Friday to Saturday morning, an 84-year-old woman from Grant County, a 73-year-old man from Fayette County and a 59-year-old woman from Cabell County.

“As we solemnly observe this tragic loss of life, we must continue to fight this virus,” said DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch. “It is our duty to protect our family members and neighbors. We extend our condolences to these families.”

In the DHHR County Alert System, Doddridge County was moved from red to orange, the second highest level of restrictions, in the Monday report. The infection rate remains above 25 per 100,000 people, but the positivity rate in Doddridge dropped to 7.69 percent from 8.9 percent.

The only red county is Wyoming.

The state reported 5,095 active cases, an increase from 4,940 active cases reported on Sunday, with 177 patients in the hospital, 67 in an intensive care unit and 26 on ventilators. The daily positivity rate was 2.21 percent.

Conformed cases per local county included: Calhoun (32), Doddridge (65), Jackson (355), Pleasants (23), Ritchie (27), Roane (88), Tyler (24), Wirt (28) and Wood (491).

Free COVID-19 testing will be available today in Doddridge and Jackson counties.

In Doddridge County, testing will be available from 8 a.m. to noon at Doddridge County High School, 79 Bulldog Drive, West Union. In Jackson County, testing is scheduled 9 a.m. to noon at the ElderCare parking lot, 107 Miller Drive, Ripley.

Testing is available to everyone, including asymptomatic individuals. Information about upcoming testing locations, including drive through pharmacy testing, is available https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.

Also on Saturday, Wood and Gilmer counties were elevated from green to gold and Wirt County was elevated from yellow to orange in the Department of Education’s School Alert System. Doddridge County was listed in the red category, the most restrictive in the system, in the Department of Education map.

Other gold counties are Jefferson, Marshall and Pendleton.

Among the restrictions for gold counties: no assemblies or large group activities; athletic and extracurricular activities to be attended by parents or guardians only; cheerleaders and bands may participate at home games; schools can only compete in-county or with other gold counties.

Wirt and six other counties are orange, the second most restrictive classification. The others are Mingo, Morgan, Randolph, Upshur and Wyoming. Restrictions include: suspension of in-person instruction and activation of remote learning; staff continues essential student support services including meals, student engagement and special education services; face coverings required at all times for grades 3-12 when school services are required or needed; athletics and extracurriculars limited to conditioning only as defined by Secondary Schools Activities Commission; and marching band is limited to outdoors only with instruments permitted only when students are stationary and distanced in pods.

Jackson, Ritchie, Roane and Tyler counties are classified yellow. Among restrictions: limiting exposure outside of core groups; limiting assemblies or large group activities where social distancing is not possible; require face coverings for grades 3-5 on buses and in congregant settings outside of core groups where social distancing cannot be maintained. Require face coverings for grades 6 and above at all times; family members and grandparents allowed at athletic and extracurricular activities; cheerleaders and bands may participate at home games.

Other yellow counties are Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Brooke, Clay, Logan, Mercer, Mineral, Monroe, Nicholas, Putnam, Wayne and Webster.

Calhoun and Pleasants are classified green, the least restrictive. Other green counties are Cabell, Fayette, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Mason, McDowell, Monongalia, Ohio, Pocahontas, Preston, Raleigh, Summers, Taylor, Tucker and Wetzel.

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