MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The state Department of Health and Human Resources reported two additional deaths in connection with COVID-19 in information released Tuesday morning.
The DHHR said an 88-year-old woman from Lewis County and a 66-year-old woman from Clay County both died in recent days.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of two West Virginians,” DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch said.
The state is now reporting 2,582 total COVID-19 cases since early March and 92 deaths. DHHR numbers show 30 new positive tests in the past 24 hours, a total of 565 new cases since June 1, an increase of 28 percent.
Dr. @claymarsh talks with @HoppyKercheval about current COVID-19 updates in WV with numbers on the rise. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/yWQO0hIALL
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) June 23, 2020
State Coronavirus Czar Doctor Clay Marsh said he hopes more West Virginians will take advantage the opportunity to weaken the virus by wearing masks.
“I know we’re not doing as well as we can do and I also know this is a big cultural change and some people feel it’s a violation of their personal rights and privileges,” Marsh said during a Tuesday appearance on MetroNews “Talkline.” “But I do know that if we can wear masks and rally together to adopt that new norm and we can separate from each other and can be careful about being inside together and being crowded, I think that we will be a model state to make it through this global pandemic.”
Marsh said the climb in case numbers across the country can in part be attributed to more young people getting the virus.
“My guess is that they’re probably less careful and are accumulating in greater numbers together and spreading it more readily and that’s a population that generally does better with the virus than older people with other medical problems,” he said.
The cases have risen in West Virginia in recent days but not the hospitalizations. There were just 21 people hospitalized with COVID-19 out of 700 active cases in the state as of Tuesday morning. The high for hospitalizations was 56 on May 1.
“The feeling is that young people do better because they have better immune systems that isolate and contains the virus where it initially gets infected,” Marsh said.
Confirmed cases per county Tuesday morning included:
(Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case): Barbour (15/0), Berkeley (415/18), Boone (19/0), Braxton (3/0), Brooke (6/1), Cabell (87/3), Calhoun (2/0), Clay (10/0), Fayette (59/0), Gilmer (10/0), Grant (15/1), Greenbrier (51/0), Hampshire (40/0), Hancock (18/2), Hardy (41/1), Harrison (49/1), Jackson (141/0), Jefferson (212/5), Kanawha (261/8), Lewis (15/0), Lincoln (5/0), Logan (21/0), Marion (54/2), Marshall (38/1), Mason (16/0), McDowell (6/0), Mercer (22/0), Mineral (52/2), Mingo (12/3), Monongalia (144/14), Monroe (8/1), Morgan (19/1), Nicholas (7/0), Ohio (73/0), Pendleton (12/1), Pleasants (4/1), Pocahontas (23/1), Preston (50/13), Putnam (44/1), Raleigh (33/1), Randolph (154/0), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (11/0), Summers (1/0), Taylor (13/1), Tucker (6/0), Tyler (3/0), Upshur (11/1), Wayne (106/1), Wetzel (9/0), Wirt (4/0), Wood (53/4), Wyoming (7/0).