CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The health officer and executive director for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department said the 25th known person to die in Kanawha County because of COVID-19 this weekend was a nursing home resident in Sissonville.
As of Monday morning, Dr. Sherri Young said 26 residents at Cedar Ridge Center, a Genesis Healthcare nursing home facility, had tested positive for COVID-19 along with six staff members and two contractors.
She said there was also a separate, smaller outbreak at a site in Marmet.
Those with the nursing home were working on contact tracing and taking steps to address the outbreak in residents and employees, according to Dr. Young.
Overall, Dr. Young said Kanawha County had 1,117 positive cases of COVID-19 cases dating back to March. Numbers showed 321 of those cases were considered active.
“Really, we’re just seeing a lot of community spread. We are seeing some (cases) related to travel. We’re seeing some (cases) related to families and some within the workplace,” Dr. Young said on Monday’s “580-LIVE” on 580-WCHS in Charleston.
“We’re just trying to keep the numbers under control and keep the contact tracing going because that’s how we’re identifying the people that we are able to test.”
Last week, Gov. Jim Justice banned nursing home visitation for a second time in West Virginia in the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is the most vulnerable population that you have — people who are sick, have comorbidities, elderly people who are really the most vulnerable to this disease,” Dr. Young said.
“Cutting down that visitation, while it’s hard, it’s the most responsible thing to do as far as keeping them protected.”
The next community COVID-19 testing event in Kanawha County was scheduled for Friday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar.