CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There are new variants of COVID-19 that are circulating in West Virginia, on top of a rise in flu cases and continued concerns about RSV among children, according to state health officials.
State coronavirus czar Dr. Clay Marsh said there’s been a 30 percent increase in flu hospitalizations in the last week.
“The influenza outbreak is the worst that we’ve seen in 10 years related to hospitalizations,” Marsh said on a recent MetroNews “Talkline” appearance.
West Virginia is starting to see subvariants of the Omicron BA.5 virus that Marsh said are “more infectious.”
“These variants are uniquely able to infect people even who have been vaccinated and even who have had COVID before and have recovered from it,” he said.
Marsh said the best way to protect yourself this holiday season is to stay up to date on vaccinations.
“If you compare people that have gotten the Omicron booster shot versus people who haven’t been vaccinated, then we’ve see a 14 times an improvement in the reduced risk of death and hospitalizations,” Marsh explained.
Different illnesses will start flaring up as the weather becomes colder. COVID-19 continues to lurk and infect individuals along with RSV and the flu. What is the latest, and how can we fight these viruses? @claymarsh and Jim Hoyer discusses the latest w/@HoppyKercheval. pic.twitter.com/5SxiznKPzE
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) December 1, 2022
Marsh also said RSV cases in West Virginia are on the decline.
“We are starting to see a bit of a plateauing, but that is still a very dangerous virus for young West Virginians,” he said.
State InterAgency Task Force Director Jim Hoyer, also a recent guest on “Talkline,” said the state needs to do a better job of vaccinating older residents, not just for COVID-19.
“In a state that is very vulnerable health wise, but more importantly has one of the highest percentages of grandparents raising children in any state in the country, if a young person gets RSV, they’re more likely to pass it to a grandparent,” Hoyer said.
About 74 percent of residents over the age of 18 have had at least one COVID-19 dose. About 84 percent of residents over the age of 65 are considered “full vaccinated,” but only 27 percent of that age group have received their Omicron booster shot.
“We’ve got to do a better job of getting that message out,” Hoyer said.
The state has a vaccine calculator to see when they need their next shot. Residents can also call the vaccine hotline at 1-833-734-0965.