The 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard passes over Cabell Huntington Hospital as part of flyovers at various hospitals saluting front-line COVID-19 responders in 2020.
The 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard passes over Cabell Huntington Hospital as part of flyovers at various hospitals saluting front-line COVID-19 responders in 2020.
CHARLESTON — West Virginia health officials remain confident they are still receiving accurate information on the state’s hospitals despite some concerns about how the federal government is now collecting COVID-19 data.
Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch said Monday during Gov. Jim Justice’s press briefing there were some concerns about the change, but thanks to the department’s relationship with the West Virginia Hospital Association, he was confident the state had up-to-date, accurate information on the state’s hospitals and their capacity to respond to the pandemic.
“There’s some concern about the changes, but we are working through those,” Crouch said.
Last week, the Trump administration directed U.S. hospitals to directly report data on COVID-19 patients, medical equipment and other vital information to the Department of Health and Human Services’ data portal, instead of the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network. HHS officials said the CDC’s data reporting infrastructure was outdated, leading to a week-long delay in compiling the information and hampering the U.S. response to the pandemic.
The move has been criticized, with many fearing the data would no longer be accessible. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, joined a group of U.S. senators urging reversal of the decision, calling it “confusing and harmful.”
The National Governors Association, representing all 55 governors, wrote a letter last week requesting the change be delayed 30 days to “ensure the accurate reporting” of the data and to allow hospitals to learn the new system as “they continue to deal with this pandemic.”
Hospital capacity, including the number of ICU beds and ventilators, have been key indicators for monitoring the pandemic.
Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have been increasing in West Virginia throughout July. As of 5 p.m. Monday, there were 77 hospitalized, with 33 in the ICU and 17 on ventilators, according to the state dashboard.
There were 38 new positive cases reported statewide, for a total of 5,080.
Total cases by county (case confirmed by lab test/probable case): Barbour (25/0), Berkeley (549/19), Boone (58/0), Braxton (7/0), Brooke (38/1), Cabell (219/7), Calhoun (5/0), Clay (17/0), Fayette (101/0), Gilmer (13/0), Grant (25/1), Greenbrier (80/0), Hampshire (51/0), Hancock (61/4), Hardy (48/1), Harrison (140/1), Jackson (149/0), Jefferson (269/5), Kanawha (534/12), Lewis (24/1), Lincoln (21/0), Logan (47/0), Marion (136/3), Marshall (82/1), Mason (30/0), McDowell (11/0), Mercer (74/0), Mineral (73/2), Mingo (60/2), Monongalia (748/15), Monroe (16/1), Morgan (21/1), Nicholas (21/1), Ohio (179/0), Pendleton (19/1), Pleasants (5/1), Pocahontas (38/1), Preston (92/22), Putnam (115/1), Raleigh (105/3), Randolph (199/2), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (12/0), Summers (2/0), Taylor (29/1), Tucker (7/0), Tyler (10/0), Upshur (31/2), Wayne (160/2), Webster (2/0), Wetzel (41/0), Wirt (6/0), Wood (203/9), Wyoming (8/0).
In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear amended restrictions and recommendations after the state had its highest daily positive case increase Sunday, with 979 new positive cases. Beshear reduced the group gathering limit from 50 to 10, saying there was too much spread happening from parties in backyards. He also advises anyone who travels to states with a positive rate above 15% — Alabama, Texas, Idaho, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina and Mississippi — to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Justice said he was monitoring the situation in Kentucky, as it closely mirrored the situation in West Virginia for some time.
There were 258 new positive cases reported statewide in Kentucky on Monday and one new death.
The Ashland-Boyd County Health Department reported one new positive case Monday: a 21-year-old woman who is isolating at home. There are 44 active cases in Boyd County.
In Ohio, the Lawrence County Health Department reported 10 new positive cases Monday. Five of the patients are men; five women, and their ages range between 5 and 55. There are 73 active cases in the county.
Statewide, 1,236 new positive cases and 15 new deaths were reported.
Follow reporter Taylor Stuck on Twitter and Facebook @TaylorStuckHD.
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