West Virginia has hit a grim milestone – a record number of hospitalizations for the COVID-19 virus.
Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday there are 215 West Virginians hospitalized with the coronavirus. Of that figure, 71 of those patients are in an intensive care unit, and 23 are on ventilators, according to data from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
The governor once again implored West Virginians to do everything they can to limit the spread of the virus – wear masks, social distance and frequently wash hands.
“As this thing races across our country again, and as we race to try to get to that vaccine, we gotta do our part in West Virginia,” Justice said. “I know it’s tough. I know the wearing of the mask is a nuisance and everything, but for crying out loud, compared to people dying, how much of a nuisance is it in anyway?”
The state saw 317 new cases of the virus in the past 24 hours. Overall, there are 5,031 active cases statewide.
As of Monday morning, at least 424 West Virginians have died from the virus since DHHR began tracking COVID-related deaths in the state.
Nationally, the United States has seen record high numbers in cases recently.
On Friday, the U.S. hit a record of confirmed daily coronavirus cases with more than 83,000 new cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The U.S. also recorded 943 deaths due to COVID-19 on Friday. More than 225,000 people have died from the virus nationwide.