CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – On Inside West Virginia Politics, West Virginia COVID-19 Czar, Dr. Clay Marsh to discuss the state of the virus in the Mountain State. As of Thursday, July 22, the state saw a 60% increase in Delta variant cases, going from 22 to 35 cases overnight, and active virus cases continue to climb.

Marsh says this increase is “probably just the beginning” of the Delta variant’s impact on the state. He also believes the overall increase in cases is due to people becoming more “lax” on wearing masks and social distancing, although the state’s mask mandate was lifted just over one month ago on June 20, West Virginia Day. He says this is due, in part, to the number of West Virginians still unvaccinated against the virus. As of Monday, July 26, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported that 67.7% of the state’s eligible population has begun the vaccination process and 56.2% of those eligible for the vaccine are fully vaccinated.

Marsh also encouraged people, even those who are vaccinated, to continue wearing masks in settings where they cannot be sure everyone has been vaccinated as a way to help reduce the chance of spreading the virus to those who have not gotten or cannot get the vaccine.