Tag: Infectious Diseases

Active COVID-19 Cases Hit 5-Month High In W.Va.

Active cases of COVID-19 hit their highest levels in West Virginia in five months Thursday.

Active cases of COVID-19 hit their highest levels in West Virginia in five months Thursday.

There were at least 3,221 ongoing cases in the state, the highest since 3,339 on Feb. 24, according to the Department of Health and Human Resources’ COVID-19 dashboard. Active cases statewide had plunged to 263 on April 4 after surpassing 21,000 in January.

Confirmed daily cases in West Virginia surpassed 480 on Tuesday and Wednesday after falling below 400 on each of the previous four days.

The increase occurred as President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus as new variants challenge the nation’s efforts to resume normalcy after two and a half years of pandemic disruptions.

The number of people hospitalized for the virus in West Virginia has risen steadily since bottoming out at 77 in mid-April. It was at 299 Thursday. The pandemic record of 1,097 was set on Feb. 2. The National Guard ended its staffing assistance to hospitals on March 11.

There have been 7,121 virus deaths in West Virginia since the start of the pandemic.

New Unit at Ruby Memorial Hospital is Ebola-Ready

Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown is now equipped and prepared with what’s called an Infection Prevention and Containment Unit, complete with five isolations rooms, in the event that any sick person be admitted who has had any possible exposure to the Ebola virus.

A WVU Healthcare Ebola Task Force is now prepared for any potential encounters with the virus. Personnel from emergency medicine, infectious diseases, nursing, and several other areas of the hospital have undergone training and the hospital spent half a million dollars converting a section of its emergency department into a special unit designed to protect both patients and healthcare workers.

Medical Director of the Emergency Department, Dr. Owen Lander says the facility is modeled on facilities in the country that have already effectively contained and treated Ebola patients.

“I think it’s important to emphasize that the risk is low, but the stakes are high,” he said.

In addition to the isolation rooms, the Infection Prevention and Containment Unit includes a lab for blood tests, and specific rooms for donning and removing protective clothing and equipment. Patients who arrive at the hospital are triple-screened using protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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