State sees three new COVID-19 cases

Governor tested after contact with patient, results negative

CHARLESTON -- Potentially bringing the coronavirus crisis closer to the seat of government, Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday he has tested negative for the respiratory illness.

In order to limit the number of people in the Governor's Reception Room at the state Capitol, Thursday's briefing with the media was done virtually, with reporters asking questions to the governor and a panel of state officials through a teleconference system.

Justice said he came into contact with Jefferson County native James Vigil, the first person to test positive for COVID-19 in West Virginia, on Feb. 15 during a grant award presentation in the Eastern Panhandle. When it was brought to his attention Thursday, Justice self-quarantined and was tested before a batch of tests were sent to the Department of Health and Human Resources lab. After three hours, Justice said his test came back negative.

"They brought me a picture of the gentleman with his thumb up and I remembered him," Justice said.

"It just so happened they had a batch going out right at that time, and they said as soon as we test you, you're going to have to be quarantined until we get the sample back."

According to the Department of Health and Human Resources, there were three new cases of the coronavirus in West Virginia Thursday, bringing the total of positive cases to five. Two of the new cases are in Tucker County, while one is from Monongalia County. All three individuals have been self-quarantined at home. There has been a total of 224 coronavirus tests as of 9:30 p.m. Thursday, with 219 testing negative, and 13 test results pending.

Dr. Cathy Slemp, the state health officer and commissioner of the Bureau of Public Health, said the second positive result, a person from Mercer County, had traveled outside the state and contracted COVID-19. The individual was self-quarantining at home. Slemp said DHHR is investigating both cases to see who they have been in contact with.

"The case was travel-related, and exposure was out-of-state," Slemp said. "The individual is doing well, and the investigation began (Wednesday) night and is actively underway. You'll see other cases come in the next few days and we'll do the same thing there."

According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, there are 13,159 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. with 176 deaths. Worldwide, the number of cases is 242,191 with 9,843 deaths.

Bill Crouch, secretary of DHHR, said testing continues to ramp up, with commercial testing available and hospitals offering off-site and drive-through testing. Limitations are still in place and based on whether a person is showing symptoms.

"We have additional testing coming online daily from commercial providers," Crouch said. "We're going to see more testing performed. Chances are we'll see more positive cases in West Virginia."

WVU Medicine has set up a COVID-19 Triage Hotline at 304-598-6000 to help people determine if they need to be tested for the coronavirus, which includes people with fever, a cough, and shortness of breath. If the criteria for testing is met, the person would be directed to one of five drive-through testing locations in Morgantown, Parkersburg, Bridgeport, Wheeling and Martinsburg.

According to Dr. Clay Marsh, vice president and executive dean for Health Sciences at West Virginia University, more than 300 people have been tested at these locations.

"We are hoping to increase that," Marsh said. "We are very much optimistic that this sort of threshold, this ceiling will be broken through. We know that the most effective countries in the world do social distancing...but also do very thorough testing of the population. We want to bring that to West Virginia as quickly as we can."

Justice issued an executive order Thursday waiving the one-week waiting period for unemployment compensation benefits, as well as waiving the requirements that an applicant needs to search for work. The order applies to anyone who has been separated from employment during the state of emergency, had hours cut, or can't work due to being at high-risk of being infected.

Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, praised Justice for moving quickly to remove any hindrances to unemployment compensation for displaced workers.

"I believe people are fearful," Roberts said. "People who lost their jobs quickly and without any ability to prepare for that are really worried about buying their groceries, making their car payment, paying their rent, and making their house payments. I'm really glad (Justice) waived the one-week waiting rule and to make people who lost their job and had their hours reduced eligible for compensation."

This follows two executive orders: one issued Tuesday closing all bars, restaurants, and casinos except for carry-out, curbside, or delivery service; and one issued Wednesday closing all gyms, fitness centers, recreational centers, and other similar facilities. Both bans are for two weeks and will be re-evaluated at that time. Justice also ordered barbers, hairdressers, and nail salons to close Thursday at midnight.

"We've had many requests from our barbers who have said 'we don't feel comfortable being in that close of contact with others,'" Justice said. "They were looking to us for guidance."

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a respiratory virus first found in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The COVID-19 symptoms mimic flu symptoms, but the virus can be deadly for people over the age of 60 and people with chronic health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and respiratory issues.

Health officials continue to stress the importance of staying and working from home when possible, avoiding crowds larger than 10 people, washing hands, covering coughs, and avoiding touching of the face. Officials also stress there is no need to panic-purchase food or supplies, with supply chains keeping up with stocking shelves.

The state has struggled with receiving needed supplies to protect health care workers, such as surgical masks, gowns, and other personal protection equipment. Justice announced that the state purchased through the Governor's Civil Contingency Fund 100,000 N95 surgical masks from a West Virginia company for $570,000, which the state hopes to be reimbursed for. Of the total, 30,000 would go to first responders and 70,000 would go to DHHR. The West Virginia National Guard also helped provide 275 reusable protective suits for health professionals.

(Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)