Health Story Archives - Page 5 of 21 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Governor, Health Leaders Urge Caution As COVID-19 Statistics Take A Turn For The Worse

West Virginia’s governor and health officials warned in a news conference Wednesday afternoon that the state’s reproductive and daily positive rates for COVID-19 were noticeably high.

In fact, West Virginia’s reproductive rate – 1.35 as of Wednesday, per the governor – has been the highest in the country for the last four days, according to coronavirus czar Clay Marsh.

The Mountain State had a daily positivity rate for the coronavirus of 7.78 percent Wednesday, the highest since reaching roughly 12 percent in mid-April, according to data posted on the state’s COVID-19 response website.

“West Virginia, we are absolutely getting worse by the day,” Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday, shortly after listing off four new coronavirus deaths to reporters at a virtual press briefing. More than 250 West Virginians have died of COVID-19 since March.

“You need to all know that everyone is trying their hardest to do the very best that they possibly, possibly can for you,” Justice said. “But West Virginians, you’re going to have to buckle down.”

The state’s dreary outlook hit less than a month after the governor was touting the state’s lower coronavirus-related statistics – throughout the first four weeks of August, the DHHR reported that West Virginia had daily positive rates of less than 4 percent.

“It’s really, really important that everybody be particularly committed to protecting yourselves and protecting each other,” Marsh said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding close contact with individuals outside of one’s household and wearing face coverings in public settings.

Forty-six out of 55 county school districts opened for in-person classes on Tuesday. Nine counties with high daily averages of coronavirus cases, according to a color-coded county alert system from the state, were not allowed to hold in-person classes this week.

On Wednesday, Justice announced Pocahontas County toward the southeast end of the state was the latest to go orange, referring to the second worst color on the map.

“We’re reviewing to make absolutely certain that Pocahontas County is absolutely, legitimately orange, but for what we know at this moment, it is,” Justice said.

West Virginia Public Health Officer Ayne Amjad later clarified that the county went from yellow to orange this week after 10 new people tested positive for the coronavirus in the 8,400-person county on Tuesday.

“We are going to review some information for that county over the next day or so,” Amjad said.

Outbreaks And Testing

The governor reported on Wednesday there were 32 outbreaks in long-term care facilities throughout the state and four church-related outbreaks.

According to data from the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation posted Wednesday, there were more than 30 active cases of COVID-19 among prisoners at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County. The DCR reported that more than 130 prisoners at Mount Olive have recovered from the coronavirus, and roughly 60 test results for that facility are still pending.

The governor said Wednesday more than 20 employees for Mount Olive have active COVID-19 cases.

Two more prisoners in the regional jails also have active coronavirus cases, one in Charleston and another in Cabell County.

Statewide, West Virginia health officials report there have been more than 463,000 coronavirus tests since March.

West Virginia has had 11,800 confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, nearly 2,800 of which were active Wednesday.

The DHHR reported more than 8,700 West Virginians have recovered from the virus since March. However, experts nationwide are still learning how COVID-19 continues to impact patients following recovery from the disease.

“Most people need to follow up with their health care providers for those questions,” Amjad said Wednesday. “Of course, we know of the case of the child that was here in West Virginia [who was diagnosed with Multi-Inflammatory Syndrome in Children], and it’s very important for children who have COVID-19 to follow up with their health care providers. As far as adults go, we do think it’s important as well, and we do see a lot of aftereffects. We’ve seen things with the heart, definitely, and even vascular issues.”

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

Coronavirus Claims 9 More Senior Citizens In West Virginia

The toll on West Virginia’s older population during the coronavirus pandemic kept mounting with the reported deaths Thursday of nine senior citizens from six different counties.

One of the deadliest days yet during the virus outbreak pushed the number of deaths statewide to 199, an increase of 71% this month alone. West Virginia began the month of August with 116 deaths.

The deaths reported Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Resources included three residents of Logan County, two from Monroe County and one apiece from Clay, Fayette, Kanawha and Mercer counties.

The deaths were reported a day after West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice made yet another plea for residents to wear masks, keep their distances and self-quarantine upon returning from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a favorite vacation destination.

“We have got to be more careful for our elderly,” Justice said Wednesday.

The virus usually results in only mild to moderate symptoms, but is particularly dangerous for the elderly and people with other health problems.

West Virginia has the nation’s third-oldest population with nearly 20% of its 1.8 million residents over age 65.

City of Charleston Hires New Mental Health Coordinator Amid COVID Concerns

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing added stress and anxiety across the nation and the globe. West Virginia’s capital city has responded by hiring a mental health coordinator to respond to growing local needs.

“This is a really stressful period, even for those who were not experiencing challenges before,” said Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin, acknowledging financial stressors, evictions, childcare and other health issues that are impacting mental health.

Goodwin said Charleston has seen an increase in calls to 9-1-1 from people wanting help and needing somebody to talk to. She says a mental health coordinator will help increase the city’s capacity to get that assistance to more families.

The funds to support this new position will come from the CARES Act, federal money that Congress passed in March in response to the COVID crisis. The CARES Act contains additional funding that cities can apply for, through the Community Development Block Grants Program.

The Mental Health Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the work of a Mental Health Response Team. The team will include City of Charleston staff, mental health experts, homeless shelters and social service providers.

If you want someone to talk to or need mental health assistance, West Virginia has a free emotional strength helpline for COVID-19-related stress. Call: 1-877-HELP304 Or text 1-877-435-7304 Chat: http://help304.com This hotline can connect you to a crisis counselor for stress-management strategies, community resources and referrals.

Reducing Pollution In New River Gorge Through Community Volunteer Efforts

Rafters and kayakers who travel the New River Gorge go through water that feeds in from several sources. One such waterway is Piney Creek. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, as far back as the 1970s Piney Creek has contained sewage and high levels of fecal coliform, aluminum and iron. In 2002, the DEP listed Piney Creek as one of the worst-polluted streams in the state. A group of citizens formed a non-profit, called the Piney Creek Watershed, to help clean up the pollution.

Stormie Surface and Dayton Copeland are recent high school graduates in Fayette County and live near Piney Creek. For their first radio piece, Stormie and Dayton interviewed Corey Lilly, executive director for the Piney Creek Watershed Association, to get an idea of the progress his group has made to make it safer for residents in Fayette and Raleigh Counties to drink their water. This is an excerpt of that conversation, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

Stormie Surface: Do you know what the current status of the Piney Creek watershed is?

David Smith kayaking in Piney Creek. Smith is seen here dropping one of the bigger rapids on the creek as he makes his way down to the New River.

Corey Lilly: The current status is it is an impaired stream, so this creek is heavily impacted by the development of the city of Beckley. There are more than 20 sewer plants along the creek, and historically those have been providing a lot of sewage drain into the stream. With the recent upgrades it’s improved quite a bit.

Copeland: Where does Piney Creek flow and what other rivers are affected by it?

Lilly: Piney Creek flows into the New River Gorge, and it is a National River protected by the federal government. And there’s a large tourism industry that surrounds the New River. Every year tens of thousands of people come to the area to recreate in the New River Gorge. So there’s a big push to try to increase the quality of the water in the New River Gorge because we don’t want people getting sick. We want people to be able to go out and recreate and have a good time.

One of our most successful jobs has been at the YMCA soccer complex in Beckley. There was a barren piece of land from an old mine site that our organization found funding for, and we were able to clean it up and plant a lot of vegetation and bring in some gardens that helped bring back some insects that were needed. And so we reduced the soil load that went into the stream, as well as planted vegetation and brought back some of the wildlife there.

A litter clean up organized by the Piney Creek Watershed Association.

Copeland: And while improving the drinking water for thousands of people is the main purpose of the watershed, Lilly said he also sees a lot of value in getting people out in their community, working on projects together.

Lilly: We want to help those people in our community the best way that we can. I’ve personally received increases of quality of my life through outdoor recreation and being outside and being with friends and family in a healthy environment. The more people that we can get outside, the better our world is going to be.

Surface: Even though the coronavirus pandemic has put these community events on hold for now, Lilly said he hopes to be able to plan some type of a volunteer event sometime this summer or fall.

Stormie Surface and Dayton Copeland are recent graduates from the Fayette Institute of Technology. Their interview with Corey Lilly was part of a mentorship project with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, as part of their multi-media class.

Pediatricians Are Concerned Children May Be Falling Behind On Vaccines

Health departments and pediatricians across West Virginia are offering back-to- school immunization clinics over the coming months. Health officials and pediatricians are concerned that if children fall behind on vaccinations during the pandemic, the state could face a second crisis with an outbreak of vaccine-preventable disease.

Children across the state have not been making it to recommended well-child visits, said Dr. Kathryn Moffett, a pediatric disease specialist at WVU Medicine. “And that has led to a decrease in routine vaccinations for children, specifically for young children who may not have even completed their primary series of vaccines.”

Moffett added that there may be some evidence to suggest that fully vaccinated children may actually be protected against COVID disease.

“And we’re not really sure why that is but it seems that the MMR vaccine actually protects children from severe COVID disease,” she said.

MMR vaccines protect against measles, mumps and rubella.

Some health departments and clinics are offering drive-through vaccines. Parents are encouraged to call their local pediatrician or health department for a full listing of vaccination events in their area.

Wrestlers And Fans Venture 'Out Of The Darkness' With Drive-In Show

You’ve heard of drive-in movies and drive-in restaurants… But how about drive-in professional wrestling?

The All Star Wrestling company out of Madison, Boone County, held its first drive-in event Saturday night to more easily adhere to social distancing guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 50 cars surrounded a padded ring in the middle of a field behind Lee’s Studio of Dance in Winfield, Putnam County. The site sometimes doubles as the haunted attraction “Fear on the Farm.”

Many fans wore face masks to prevent COVID-19 spread, and most watched at a safe distance from the ring and each other. Between matches, someone would hop into the ring with wipes and disinfectant, to sanitize the ropes and padding.

“The Mobile Home Wrecker” Bruce Grey walks into the ring for the evening’s first match.

“Pro wrestling is about the energy that comes from the live crowd,” said ASW owner and promoter Gary Damron, who donned his own ASW-themed mask for the event. “The boos and the cheers, that’s what makes wrestling wrestling.”

The company already had to cancel three summer shows due to the pandemic, according to Damron. “The Return: Out of The Darkness,” the show Saturday night, originally was going to happen indoors at the Madison Civic Center, until the company decided outside was safer.

ASW heavyweight champion “Pure Trash” Ron Mathis prepares to defend his title in a match against Shane Storm.

ASW isn’t the only group navigating a global pandemic. World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling, both of which televise their matches nationally, closed many of their matches to fans earlier this summer.

In late June, several WWE employees shared they had tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the company to temporarily halt production and test staff, according to USA Today.

For the ASW show Saturday night, Damron said wrestlers were screened for symptoms before matches.

Huffmanly, “Leader of the Yeet Movement,” shouts to fans from the corner of the ring.

Of all the wrestlers and others at Saturday night’s show, including AEW manager and visiting personality Vicky Guerrero, the crowd was the loudest. Fans booed at body slams, cheered at body flips and lined up around merchandise tables, where wrestlers and the company sold themed t-shirts, stickers and DVDs.

Fans like Ben Musick and Al Scott from Portsmouth, Ohio, arrived hours early.

“I’ve watched wrestling in 17 states now, I think,” said Scott. “And West Virginia’s up there, it’s probably in my top five. … You can’t do certain moves in certain states and all that good stuff, but in West Virginia it’s sort of like the Wild West. You can do whatever you want.”

The Neon Ninja Façade throws Seth “Flippin” Martin into the air.

This wasn’t Musick and Scott’s first wrestling event of the summer. Both were at another show in Milton, Cabell County, from the IWA East Coast Company the previous weekend.

“I think they drew about 180 people, is what the Facebook [page] said, and usually that crowd makes like 100,” Scott said. “People are stir-crazy, they want to get out and watch their wrestling.”

The Neon Ninja Façade enters the ring for a match against Seth “Flippin’” Martin.

The wrestlers were eager to get back, too. KC Shingleton, also known as wrestler Kirk Blackman, wasn’t in the ring Saturday night, but was present to help and support other wrestlers.

If not for the pandemic, Shingleton would normally spend summer weekends wrestling, or performing with other musicians in a band called Jerks.

“So many people just have nothing to look forward to,” Shingleton said. “Some people aren’t back to work yet, some people are laid off, they have nothing to do, everything seems hopeless. So, I guess the importance of this show is just to make sure that people are entertained, and make sure that everybody goes home with a smile on their face.”

ASW heavyweight champion “Pure Trash” Ron Mathis sits down outside the ring during a match against Shane Storm.

Summer and pandemic permitting, Damron said he hopes to hold more drive-in shows in the future.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.