West Virginia has reached 100 dead from the COVID virus, according to the latest statistics from the state Department of Health and Human Resources.

Gov. Jim Justice cited the news at a coronavirus briefing Friday morning at the Capitol where he also reiterated he remained unwilling to call a special session of the Legislature to address coronavirus finances because it would politicize the situation.

“…and turn this thing into a circus,” Justice said.

The briefing included the governor; Dr. Clay Marsh, coronavirus chief for the state; public health officer Dr. Anie Amjad and Maj. Gen. James Hoyer of the National Guard.

Among concerns is a greater number of youth around 18 to 25 years old contracting the virus, Marsh said. Most of the cases in Florida, where cases of the virus have greatly increased, are of younger adults, he said.

Many hospitals in the southern states are nearing availability of intensive care unit beds in the single digits, Marsh said.

The fear is the surge spreads northward from the south, according to Justice.

But the best thing West Virginians can do, what everyone can do, is to wear a face covering and keep a safe distance from people, Justice said.

“That’s the only bullet in the gun that we have to protect us right now,” he said.

Justice asked Marsh about beliefs the virus will not kill “99.93 percent” of the people who are infected and that it is less dangerous than the flu.

“That is absolutely untrue and inaccurate,” Marsh said.

The 100th death from the virus in West Virginia was an 84-year-old man from Cabell County. Two deaths also attributed to the virus occurred this week in Wood County and in Jackson County, two men who were 77 and 84 years old, respectively, authorities said.

Justice expressed his condolences.

“I hate more than you’ll ever know to look at the No. 100 and think that we lost a hundred people in West Virginia…these people have names, these are families,” he said.

Of the nearly 220,000 laboratory results from West Virginians, 4,710 cases are positive for the virus.

(Mancini can be contacted at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com)