Tag: Coroanvirus Pandemic

W.Va. Elementary, Middle Schools To Reopen For In-person Learning Jan. 19

Citing lessons learned from the fall semester, Gov. Jim Justice announced Wednesday at his regular news conference that West Virginia elementary and middle schools will open to in-person learning on Jan. 19.

High schools will continue to be subject to the color coded map with counties in red required to use virtual learning.

Schools will continue virtually from the start of school on Jan. 4 until Jan. 19, 2021, with that time frame being used to prepare classrooms for the return of students to in-person learning. Students who choose to remain on virtual learning after Jan. 19 can still use that option.

The governor added that his new directive for schools was not an order, and that local school systems will retain local control.

“I don’t think I have the authority, and I don’t want the authority, to make that an order,” he said.

Justice indicated that there are several reasons for the return to school despite the increasing numbers of Covid infections across the state. He said one-third of students are failing at least one of their core classes using the virtual learning method.

“We all know that we are failing at virtual learning,” he said. “It does not work without consistent live engagement.”

He also indicated that child protective services referrals are down 50 to 55 percent, meaning that students in troubled environments are not being protected.

Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s coronavirus czar, indicated that in-class transmission is rare. Children under 15 years old are less likely than high-schoolers to contract the virus, which explains the reason for his announcement being limited to the younger grades.

“Children under 15 years old are 50 percent less likely to catch and 50 percent less likely to spread COVID-19 than children over 15,” he said.

To protect faculty, staff and service workers in the schools, Justice announced that all school personnel over 50 years old will be offered access to the vaccine over the next two to three weeks. Once everyone in that initial round who wants it is vaccinated, the state will then vaccinate those below 50.

Additionally, the start of winter sports will be delayed until March 1, 2021.

In related news, Justice also announced that as of this morning, the effort to vaccinate the residents and staff at all 214 long-term care facilities in the state is now complete.

Recognizing that the largest percentage of those who die from the coronavirus is among the elderly, Justice said that the general population of West Virginia, over 80 years old, will be the next priority in receiving vaccinations..This will take place at national guard armories and other locations around the state beginning immediately. .

Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, indicated that they will be reaching out through local health departments and clinics to contact 80 year olds. Essential service workers, including grocery store employees, will also be contacted by their employers and business associations.

“This is bold and aggressive, but we have people that are dying. We know we are going to save lives,” Justice said.

This effort will be on a first-come, first-served basis. He said to watch the DHHR website for more information.

W.Va. Jails Still Overcrowded As DCR Responds To Outbreaks

West Virginia corrections officials are responding to more than 250 active cases of the coronavirus in state prisons and regional jails, the latter of which were mostly over capacity on Tuesday.

Advocates, who say that overcrowding makes social distancing nearly impossible, are requesting that the Justice administration take more action to reduce the number of people being held pretrial, and to protect those incarcerated long-term.

“Within regional jails, it’s impossible for social distancing,” said Greg Whittington from West Virginia Family of Incarcerated People and the ACLU. “It’s just a powder keg for COVID-19.”

By Tuesday afternoon, all but one of the state’s jails was overcrowded, and state leaders were monitoring COVID-19 clusters of 10 or more people in five facilities.

That includes outbreaks in two state prisons, which, unlike regional jails, were under capacity on Tuesday.

The state’s largest active outbreak Tuesday was at Northern Regional Jail, where nearly 170 incarcerated people had tested positive for the coronavirus and not yet recovered. This facility, located in Marshall County, was roughly 150 people over capacity Tuesday afternoon.

More than 1,200 prisoners and 450 employees have had the virus since DCR’s first confirmed employee case in April.

Meanwhile, staff for the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation have been implementing the same COVID-19 policy since March.

“These people have done an unbelievable job, an unbelievable job, looking after and serving our inmates and doing great work,” Justice said of DCR on Friday.

Overcrowding isn’t new to the state of West Virginia — shortly before the state began responding to the pandemic, Justice signed House Bill 2419 into law, to release more people being held pretrial for nonviolent charges.

And less than two months after state officials first began responding to the pandemic in March, West Virginia jail populations dropped by almost 30 percent. This likely was a result of guidance from the state Supreme Court, to release more nonviolent offenders.

But somehow, the state is back where it started, with roughly 1,400 people more than the state’s systemwide regional jail capacity. In August, several magistrates told West Virginia Public Broadcasting they were implementing new laws and guidance from the Supreme Court to the best of their ability.

Whittington says criminal justice officials aren’t enforcing the law consistently.

“These are simple things, simple legislation that we have had over the last year or so, that if they actually did it, right, would make a difference,” Whittington said.

In addition to asking for more consistent enforcement or these laws to reduce overcrowding, advocates are requesting increased testing, and more transitional housing options for people who have nowhere to go after they’re released.

All of this, said Whittington, could be covered by a portion of the state’s leftover CARES Act funding. The state initially received roughly $1.25 billion to spend on relief programs for those experiencing fallout from the pandemic. On Dec. 6, MetroNews reported that the state still had $800 million left, which it must spend before the year is up.

And with the first doses of a COVID vaccine already in West Virginia, Whittington says he hopes staff and incarcerated people are among those prioritized.

“Regional jails and prisons are one of the larger employees in the state. It’s pretty naïve of us not to think they’re carrying that back to their families,” Whittington said. “And that’s why we’ve had to push to have people in regional jails and prisons vaccinated, along with correctional staff.”

The governor’s office included DCR staff in Phase 1-B of its plan for allocating the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.

Corrections staff will be vaccinated as doses are available with other essential, high-risk employees working in community infrastructure and emergency response.

State health officials are prioritizing workers who are at a higher risk for COVID-19 before the general public, which Justice said he hopes to begin vaccinating in March 2021.

The governor’s office has not provided details on vaccinating people incarcerated in state correctional facilities.

State health officials continue testing about 10 percent of DCR staff regularly, for surveillance.

They’re also continuing to monitor jail and prison outbreaks. In addition to the nearly 170 COVID-19 cases at Northern Regional Jail, roughly 30 people have tested positive for the virus between jails in Braxton and Berkeley counties, both of which were over capacity Tuesday.

Almost 60 people have tested positive and not recovered between prisons in Marshall, Taylor and Pleasants counties. Another 46 DCR employees also had tested positive and not recovered by Tuesday.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

W.Va Now Reporting 100-Plus Prisoners With Coronavirus

The number of adults with active cases of the coronavirus in West Virginia prisons has doubled since Wednesday, totaling more than 100 prisoners between three prisons and one regional jail.

The largest outbreak by Monday was at Denmar Correctional Center in Pocahontas County, where the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports that nearly 60 prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus and not yet recovered.

DCR defines “recovery” using guidance from the CDC, which states that “people with mild to moderate COVID-19 remain infectious no longer than 10 days after their symptoms began.”

In this guidance, the CDC adds that its recommendation doesn’t apply to people with severe COVID-19.

In Marshall County, both the Northern Regional Jail and Northern Correctional Facility have more than 20 active cases of the coronavirus each, according to the division.

Approximately 20 more prisoners recently have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Pruntytown Correctional Center in Taylor County. Throughout the state, more than 50 DCR employees are actively dealing with the coronavirus and quarantining from home.

While all state prisons have yet to reach their capacity, nearly all 10 regional jails had more beds than prisoners, save for the jail in Hampshire County, which was at capacity Monday. According to data from DCR Monday, the Northern Regional Jail is approximately 160 people over capacity.

More Than 50 Adults Test Positive For Coronavirus In W.Va. Prisons

More than 50 West Virginia prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus and not yet recovered, as the state moves past a more than 260-person-outbreak that occurred earlier in November.

Those current cases include 23 prisoners with the virus at Denmar Correctional Center in Pocahontas County, 18 cases at the Prunytown Correctional Center in Taylor County and 11 cases at the Northern Correctional Facility in Marshall County.

Additionally, DCR reported on Wednesday that there were 14 people in state custody with the coronavirus at a work-release center in Parkersburg.

Of the 50 DCR employees who had tested positive for the coronavirus and not recovered by Wednesday, 10 work in juvenile correctional facilities and more than 30 work in correctional centers that hold adults.

DCR’s policy requires that staff who have the virus quarantine from home.

Earlier in November, DCR reported more than 260 prisoner cases of the coronavirus at Stevens Correctional Center in McDowell County, the state’s only county-run facility holding West Virginia inmates.

According to the division on Wednesday, only seven of those prisoners still have yet to recover. DCR defines recovered cases of COVID-19 using guidance from the CDC, which states that “people with mild to moderate COVID-19 remain infectious no longer than 10 days after their symptoms began.”

The CDC’s guidance reflects that this recommendation doesn’t apply to people with severe COVID-19.

“For what all they’ve done, it’s unbelievable,” Gov. Jim Justice said of DCR Wednesday, and members of the Department of Health and Human Resources who Justice said have helped. “Unbelievable. It’s great. Great, great story.”

West Virginia has had three prisoner deaths, its first at the South Central Regional Jail in Charleston.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

W.Va. Health Department Reports More Than 20 Active Church Outbreaks

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported 23 church outbreaks across 17 counties Wednesday.

Between these places of worship, at least 270 West Virginians have contracted the coronavirus and not yet recovered, according to the DHHR.

The largest active outbreaks are in Kanawha, Raleigh, Monroe, Mingo and Wood counties, the latter of which has more than 40 COVID-19 cases linked to one church.

Other active outbreaks have been reported in Cabell, Fayette, Hardy, Jefferson, Logan, Marion, Jackson, Preston, Taylor, Tyler, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

During a virtual press briefing Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice urged West Virginians to wear face coverings indoors, to social distance and take advantage of alternatives to in-person services.

“If you can get your services online, and you choose to not go at this point in time, it’d probably be wise,” Justice said.

Since March, when West Virginia first began responding to the coronavirus pandemic through a now-rescinded stay-home order, various places of worship have adapted by offering virtual and outdoor services.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

Global Pandemic Hits Home In The West Virginia Mountains

Many in West Virginia proudly say they live in the original social distancing state.

The coronavirus often seemed like a distant phenomenon best viewed on a TV screen in living rooms in the remote mountain towns that dot the state’s expanses of wilderness.

But as another surge of COVID-19 grows across the nation, the global pandemic is hitting home in Doddridge County.

An unexpected jump in virus cases two weeks ago in the north-central West Virginia county upended the lives of its 8,400 residents, temporarily shutting down schools, football games and cross-country meets.

“People said it wasn’t real,” said Victoria Gains, a librarian in the county seat of West Union, which has a population of about 800. “You know it is real when it’s in Doddridge County.”

From the Dakotas to Kansas to West Virginia, rural America is now seeing coronavirus cases rising again. Hundreds of counties with fewer than 10,000 residents have experienced a surge in the past 14 days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Once one of the nation’s coronavirus success stories, West Virginia hit new peaks in its number of daily cases last week. It is recording a 7-day average of about 261 cases daily, a 48% increase from three weeks earlier. Republican Gov. Jim Justice has not ruled out rolling back reopenings as he pushes for expanded testing.

Doddridge was the last county in the state to record a confirmed case in July. Most of its 71 total cases have surfaced this month, which earned it West Virginia’s most severe outbreak designation — bright red on a color-coded map. On Saturday, that designation was eased to the color gold, a category that officials introduced last month to much controversy in order to quickly reopen schools and resume sports activities.

“We were the last in the country for it to affect us,” Gains said inside the town library, which has curtailed events for children. “So I feel like we’re just now seeing what others have gone through.”

The virus has only accelerated the decline of West Union, an out-of-the-way town off U.S. Route 50 about 65 miles from Morgantown. Many say business had already been slow on its main street, where American flags on utility poles sway over quiet sidewalks, surrounded by historic homes and a towering Romanesque county courthouse perched on a hill.

The small businesses that remain open sit among a handful of shuttered storefronts, like Howard Eakle’s 41-year-old Carpet Outlet, which he closed to retire early at 64 when business dried up with the pandemic. Eakle says he now helps out sometimes at a hardware story to earn some pocket money.

“I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Debbie Boyce, 60, as she waited outside her car to pick up dinner at Betty Noll’s Restaurant. “I think it’s only going to get worse.”

Some here sniff at other townspeople for not wearing masks more often. A few people with bare faces can be seen sitting on benches outside mom-and-pop shops.

“I don’t think the people are wearing masks like they should. They just aren’t taking it seriously enough,” said Eddie Sponaugle, 79, as he left a pharmacy wearing a face covering promoting President Donald Trump. He said he started to quarantine in March with his wife, only leaving their home to attend drive-in church services and buy essential goods.

Sponaugle, who cast a mail-in ballot for Trump, said he has heard the criticism that the president himself has often not taken virus precautions seriously.

“I noticed that. I guess you could say that’s his privilege, if he wants to go without a mask,” he said.

The virus is now on the minds of many in West Union, even though it is not a major highway stop or urban center.

“It’s hitting everywhere. Doesn’t matter if it’s a small town or a big town,” said Stanley Warner, 69, walking up a hill to his apartment after a grocery run.

Holding up his red-and-black bandanna decorated with skulls, Warner said he doesn’t wear it unless instructed, such as when a bank teller politely told him to mask up. He said he pulled up his bandanna and deadpanned, “Do I look like a bank robber?”

After casting his ballot to reelect Justice, David King walked out of the polling station irritated about the governor’s coronavirus restrictions. He said it was unfair his county couldn’t have high school football games when others have more cases.

Under Justice’s rules, counties are judged by the number of positive cases per 100,000 residents. Doddridge hit the red category when it saw that number go over 25 last week, before going back into the orange category Oct. 19.

“I like Jim Justice, except for his coloring book,” King said, a swipe at the shifting categories. “It’s totally blown out of proportion. We’re so secluded.”

But that’s not the prevailing sentiment in a county that recorded its first death on Sept. 23.

The state ratcheted up free testing as the outbreak grew nationwide. Justice has urged people without symptoms to get tested, aiming to lower the county’s positive rate to allow it to reopen schools and resume sports events.

After parents implored, he made an exception to allow Doddridge County High School’s cross- country team to compete in a regional meet Thursday. The football team, which is undefeated in its first five games, was idled for two weeks.

“We’re No. 1 in everything, and here we are,” Eakle said last week, when the red category was still in effect. “We can’t play now.”

Most in town speculate that the uptick in cases was driven by outsiders, although officials say only county residents are included in the local virus count.

“It’s not our favorite thing,” said James Musgrave, 61, referring to the pandemic as he took a break from mowing his front lawn. “It’s just one of those things you deal with and learn from and go on.”

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