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The number of COVID-19 cases in West Virginia has more than doubled in the past month, according to West Virginia’s Pan Respiratory Dashboard.
It is called the “Pan” Respiratory Dashboard because it tracks the data for three major respiratory viruses that cause severe respiratory illness including COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Influenza.
The dashboard shows only positive lab tests, which have become less reliable nationally since people started testing for the virus at home.
West Virginia’s current COVID-19 positivity rate is 9.29 percent, according to the dashboard.
The Department of Health reported 205 positive lab tests on June 15th, and 487 positive lab tests on July 13th.
According to the dashboard, updated July 19, the rate of West Virginians being hospitalized for COVID-19 has fallen slightly, while emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms rose in the past week.
At the beginning of the month, state health experts encouraged West Virginians who test positive for COVID-19 to see their physician to report their case and receive adequate care.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks current viral activity levels of COVID-19 in wastewater. The agency reports West Virginia’s viral activity level from wastewater is low.
The CDC considers COVID-19 viral activity levels “high” or “very high” in 26 states.
Some of West Virginia’s border states report low or moderate risk of COVID-19 outbreaks from wastewater sampling. Still, Pennsylvania and Virginia’s viral activity levels are high, while Maryland’s viral activity is very high.
The CDC also tracks the current epidemic growth status of COVID-19 across the U.S. and as of July 16 estimated COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 42 states and territories, declining in zero states and territories and are stable or uncertain in six states and territories.
West Virginia’s risk of a COVID-19 epidemic is classified as “growing.”
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.
