CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The daily positive test rate for COVID-19 in West Virginia climbed to 2.9 percent Friday morning.
Friday’s latest numbers on the Department of Health and Human Resources dashboard show daily confirmed cases at 73, the second highest one day total in West Virginia since April. There were 77 cases reported Thursday.
Cabell-Huntington Health Department Director Dr. Michael Kilkenny said the increase of positive cases in his county is linked to three main areas.
“We’ve had cases that are associated to or from multiple states. We’ve had spread to family members and we have spread from gatherings,” Kilkenny said Friday during appearance on MetroNews “Talkline.”
Dr. Michael Kilkenny speaks with @HoppyKercheval about COVID-19 numbers and response in Cabell County. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/lOchirMf30
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) July 3, 2020
Governor Jim Justice doesn’t have another media briefing on COVID-19 until Monday. He said Thursday he’s seriously considering announcing a mask mandate for public buildings at that time.
“We will revisit this next week, Monday, but I want to give you notice that right now I am terribly concerned about what’s coming,” Justice said.
Kilkenny said the latest spike “absolutely could get away from us,” but he said that doesn’t have to happen.
“We can manage this,” he said. “We just have to do a better job of the things we know to do.”
Kilkenny said mask wearing would be a good step.
“If we could get four out of five (people) protecting themselves and their families as well as the rest of us, we would have a tremendous advantage in stopping the threat of this disease,” he said.
Kilkenny said unfortunately masks have become a political issue. He said the target is wrong.
“The argument about masks is not the point, preventing the disease is the point for public health,” Kilkenny said.
.@WV_DHHR reports as of 10:00 a.m., on July 3, 2020, there have been 179,995 total confirmatory laboratory results received for #COVID19, with 3,077 total cases and 93 deaths. #SaferAtHomeWVhttps://t.co/EXtaWPJoLH pic.twitter.com/7Lnxs8Sduj
— WV DHHR (@WV_DHHR) July 3, 2020
The state Department of Health and Human Resources said there have been 3,077 positive cases in the state since early March. It now lists active cases at 599 and recovered cases at 2,385.
The growth in cases has not resulted in a growth in hospitalizations or death. There were 23 people in the hospital in West Virginia Friday with COVID-19, down from 33 on June 26. The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 remains at 93.
CASES PER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case): Barbour (15/0), Berkeley (444/18), Boone (20/0), Braxton (3/0), Brooke (8/1), Cabell (139/6), Calhoun (2/0), Clay (10/0), Fayette (67/0), Gilmer (13/0), Grant (15/1), Greenbrier (60/0), Hampshire (42/0), Hancock (21/3), Hardy (44/1), Harrison (66/0), Jackson (143/0), Jefferson (230/5), Kanawha (323/9), Lewis (19/1), Lincoln (8/0), Logan (26/0), Marion (61/3), Marshall (40/1), Mason (19/0), McDowell (6/0), Mercer (46/0), Mineral (55/2), Mingo (19/3), Monongalia (181/14), Monroe (13/1), Morgan (19/1), Nicholas (12/1), Ohio (100/1), Pendleton (12/1), Pleasants (4/1), Pocahontas (28/1), Preston (68/15), Putnam (59/1), Raleigh (54/1), Randolph (161/1), Ritchie (2/0), Roane (11/0), Summers (2/0), Taylor (16/1), Tucker (6/0), Tyler (4/0), Upshur (20/1), Wayne (114/1), Wetzel (10/0), Wirt (4/0), Wood (102/8), Wyoming (7/0).