West Virginia COVID hospitalizations fall over weekend

“In West Virginia, we are always a little bit behind the rest of the country,” he said. “We can anticipate, over the next week or maybe a bit more, to see our numbers start to decline.”

The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have been declining overall, but new COVID-19 patients are admitted daily, said James Hoyer, who leads the state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts.

“(We have) 333 hospitalizations — that is down from Friday,” he said. “But we are still seeing a steady influx of between 45 and 60 people on a regular, daily basis going in. So we will continue to watch those numbers.”

Hoyer confirmed the West Virginia Joint Interagency Task Force for COVID-19 vaccines will hold a tabletop exercise on Aug. 22 to explore options to support the state’s health care systems.

“We’ll do some planning and preparations with various partners in Interagency Task Force for that,” he said.

Hoyer first mentioned the tabletop exercise on July 14, saying it would be used to determine potential strategies for backstopping and supporting the state’s hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities when the state reaches the “benchmark of concern” of 500 COVID-19 hospitalizations.

While the state had the capacity to care for more than 800 hospitalized COVID-19 patients a year ago — and actually saw hospitalization climb above 1,000 — the benchmark was revised to 500 in early June due to staffing shortages and other logistical concerns.

The DHHR reported three additional COVID-19 deaths Monday, with a total of 7,206 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in West Virginia since the start of the pandemic.

DHHR confirmed the deaths of a 63-year old male from Putnam County, a 79-year old female from Cabell County, and a 62-year old female from Morgan County.

“Every loss brings grief to family and friends,” said DHHR Sec. Bill Crouch. “We must do our best to stop this deadly virus by choosing to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.”

The 333 COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide as of Monday included 46 patents in ICU units and 13 patients ventilators.

There were also nine pediatric COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide, including three patients in ICU units.

West Virginians ages 6 months and older are recommended to get vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19. Those 5 years and older should receive a booster shot when due. Second booster shots for those age 50 and over who are 4 months or greater from their first booster are recommended, as well as for younger individuals over 12 years old with serious and chronic health conditions that lead to being considered moderately to severely immunocompromised.

Visit the WV COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator, a free, online tool that helps individuals figure out when they may be due for a COVID-19 shot, making it easier to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or to find a vaccine site, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965.

To locate COVID-19 testing, visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.