CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday that a 31-year-old correctional officer died over the weekend after being hospitalized with the virus in December.

“This is just a kid, I mean for crying out loud, with all kinds of life in front of him,” Justice said.

Cpl. Christopher Scarberry, who worked at the Western Regional Jail in Cabell County, is survived by his wife and three stepchildren, Justice said. The governor offered condolences and prayers for his friends and family and praised the work of correctional officers during the nearly two-year-old pandemic.

“From the very, very beginning, our corrections officers did run to the fire, did they not?” Justice said. “They came to work all the time. They absolutely took care of our inmates, and they absolutely took care of their families and all kinds of people at the same time.”

Scarberry is the fourth state correctional officer whose death has been attributed to the virus. As of Monday, 919 inmates and 234 staff members at 25 correctional institutions were counted among the state’s active cases.

That active case total had dropped below 11,000 Monday to 10,700, according to the latest statistics from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. That’s nearly half of the 21,039 recorded on Jan. 15.

“It does look like the number of new cases now have definitely started on the decline,” said Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s coronavirus czar.

But Marsh noted that hospitalizations and deaths tend to decline after cases. Hospitalizations dipped below 1,000 Monday for the first time since Jan. 24.

He said the United States has seen more daily deaths on average during the omicron surge than during last year’s delta surge, even though omicron is considered a milder variant. But it’s highly infectious nature exposes more people, including those most vulnerable, to the virus.

“People are getting sick,” Marsh said. “And the governor can certainly testify to the fact that this is not just a benign, don’t-worry-about-it kind of infection if you get it.”

Justice tested positive for the virus on Jan. 11, causing him to postpone the State of the State address. He said “it was really bad” for a couple of days but he never considered the situation life-threatening because he’d been vaccinated and received a booster shot.

Justice noted at the start of the briefing that most of the 31 deaths he announced were among older individuals.

“This thing is preying on our older people,” he said. “If we don’t get our booster shots, those people are in real jeopardy.”

Despite the declining case numbers, Marsh urged West Virginians to get vaccinated or boosted if they have not already done so.

“That is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself if you haven’t gotten it yet,” he said.

Data from Israel shows a booster dose decreases the risk of infection by 14 times compared to the initial two doses, the risk of severe illness or hospitalization by 17 times and the risk of death by 14 or 15 times, Marsh said.

Dr. Ayne Amjad, state health officer, said some people may think they don’t need a booster if they’ve been vaccinated and still got the virus.

“You still need to get your booster dose even if you have gotten COVID,” she said. “It is very important in order to remain out of the hospital.”

Marsh added that people should also continue to wear a high-quality mask, N95 or KN95, if they’re going out, particularly in indoor environments.

“This is no time to stop being thoughtful and careful, particularly if you’re in the vulnerable age group,” he said.

A member of the media said he’d decided against getting a booster after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, whose protection didn’t last as long as Pfizer and Moderna. After testing positive for COVID in December, he asked whether he should start over with the Pfizer or Moderna shots.

Marsh said the initial vaccination, his infection and treatment all activated his immune system, so he didn’t need to start over. He recommended a Moderna or Pfizer booster when he and his physician felt comfortable.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.