×

West Virginia to begin coronavirus tests for minorities, high-risk groups

CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday that expanded testing for the coronavirus will start this weekend for minority communities and populations at the highest risk of being infected by the respiratory virus.

The state Department of Health and Human Resources, the Herbert Henderson Office for Minority Affairs, and the West Virginia National Guard are hosting free COVID-19 testing in Berkeley, Jefferson, Mercer, and Raleigh counties starting today and Saturday, May 16, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“I am announcing our plan to increase COVID-19 testing opportunities for minorities, as well as the vulnerable population,” Justice said. “We are targeting these counties to open up that testing to be able to do a significant amount of testing and everything in order to be able to just make us one step better.”

The testing is available to all individuals, including people who are showing no COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or loss of taste and smell. Proof of insurance is not required, but proof of identification — such as a photo ID or proof of address — will be required. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Locations include Martinsburg High School in Berkeley County, the lower parking lot at the Harris-Jefferson Student Center at Bluefield State College in Mercer County, Asbury United Methodist Church in Charles Town in Jefferson County, and the Commission on Aging in Beckley in Raleigh County.

According to a release from DHHR, additional testing will take place for Cabell, Kanawha, Marion, and Monongalia counties starting May 22 and May 23; and for Fayette, Kanawha and Mineral counties on May 29 and May 30. Locations for those test locations will be announced at a later date.

“If you have any anxiety or whatever it may be and you think you ought to be tested and everything, please come in and do so,” Justice said.

West Virginia also received additional federal funding for coronavirus testing. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced Thursday that the state is receiving $57.2 million from the federal C.A.R.E.S. Act to greatly increase COVID-19 testing across West Virginia.

“In order to eventually reopen our state safely, we must rapidly expand testing for all West Virginians,” Manchin said. “This funding will help our public health officials and healthcare providers procure the necessary equipment to perform the COVID-19 tests.”

“Access to testing is a crucial aspect in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am very pleased to see this additional funding coming to West Virginia in support of our testing initiatives,” Capito said. “As West Virginia begins to open up parts of our state’s economy, testing must be readily available.”

According to data compiled by the West Virginia National Guard and DHHR, West Virginia has tested 3.8 percent of the state’s 1.8 million residents as of May 13, while the U.S. average was 2.9 percent of the country’s population. Justice said Thursday the additional funding will allow testing to expand further.

“We salute Sen. Capito and Sen. Manchin for their help in bringing in an additional $57 million dollars to increase our COVID testing across the state,” Justice said. “The more we can do, the better…all of our surrounding states are significantly less than that. This is just going to make us better and better and better.”

The state has already tested residents and staff of all 123 nursing homes in the state, with 183 residents and 151 staff members testing positive for COVID-19. Testing of the state’s 94 assisted living facilities — approximately 4,800 residents and staff — is underway. As of Thursday, 13 assisted living facilities have been tested.

State health officials unveiled new criteria Thursday for designating certain counties as coronavirus hotspots. The new County Alert System will identify when COVID-19 transmission is increasing in counties using a seven-day rolling average of non-facility-related coronavirus outbreaks in communities.

If positive tests reach an unidentified threshold, DHHR’s Bureau of Public Health would investigate and make a determination whether to put the county on high alert, resulting in additional resources and tighter restrictions on social distancing. The county would remain on high alert until a consistent decrease in community spread is seen.

“This approach will provide a consistent way to allow West Virginians to return to work while ensuring we’re monitoring change and, when necessary, taking aggressive steps to prevent resurgence,” said Dr. Cathy Slemp, state health officer and commissioner of the Bureau of Public Health. “What we do today impacts disease that we see in two to three weeks from now. That’s why it’s important to have this early alert system.”

Also Thursday, Justice announced that all gyms and health clubs can re-open starting Monday, May 18. Wellness centers operated by or with state-licensed health care providers — such as physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants — were allowed to reopen Monday.

The green light was also given to whitewater rafting and zipline operations to re-open starting Thursday, May 21. Rafting trips will be limited in number to six people to one raft, and buses limited to 18 people in order to maintain social distancing guidelines. Additional guidelines for gyms, health clubs, whitewater rafting and ziplining will be available at governor.wv.gov.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today