The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) confirmed an additional 15 West Virginians have died as a result of COVID-19 since last week’s update.
That update brings the state’s total to 8,203 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s coronavirus czar, said the newly approved 2023-2024 vaccine is available to anyone in West Virginia and can help protect against the virus and its possible long-term symptoms.
“We also know that people in their middle ages, in their 30s to 50s, are the ones that have the highest risk of developing long COVID,” Marsh said. “And the more times you’ve been infected with COVID, the more risks that you have of developing long COVID activities.”
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.