PM SUNDAY: WV HAS 130 NEW COVID-19 CASES SUNDAY AS NATION'S CASES SOAR

(07/06/2020)
COVID-19 positive test numbers continued to increase Sunday on the eve of what could be an announcement from Gov. Jim Justice to make the wearing of masks mandatory in some public places in the Mountain State.

In the USA, in many states, the numbers are soaring.

Health officials in Monongalia County said they have seen a “dramatic” spike in positive coronavirus cases since the beginning of the month.

The county has reported 100 new cases in the past week, an increase of 61%, according to the Monongalia County Health Department.

“Monongalia County has seen a dramatic spike in COVID-19,” health department director Dr. Lee B. Smith said in a news release. “These cases are from restaurants and bar staff, as well as gyms and fitness centers, vacations, barbecues and travel-related exposures.”

Numbers released Sunday evening by the state Department of Health and Human Resources show an increase of 73 cases from the Sunday morning report which had 57 new cases, a daily total of 130.

The state’s daily positive test rate has climbed to 3.58 percent. The number of active cases is now at 806, the highest since early May.

The DHHR is also reporting a 95th COVID-19 death, that of an 84-year-old Greenbrier County woman.

Justice said last Thursday he was seriously considering a mask mandate for public buildings where social distancing could not be achieved. He indicated that it could also cover bars and restaurants. He promised a decision at Monday’s media briefing.

Hospitalizations dropped to 27 Sunday evening with 12 patients in ICU.

Total cases per county since early March include:

(Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case): Barbour (16/0), Berkeley (464/18), Boone (23/0), Braxton (3/0), Brooke (9/1), Cabell (150/5), Calhoun (2/0), Clay (11/0), Fayette (69/0), Gilmer (13/0), Grant (15/1), Greenbrier (64/0), Hampshire (42/0), Hancock (25/3), Hardy (44/1), Harrison (76/0), Jackson (144/0), Jefferson (238/5), Kanawha (341/9), Lewis (19/1), Lincoln (8/0), Logan (26/0), Marion (79/3), Marshall (43/1), Mason (22/0), McDowell (6/0), Mercer (50/0), Mineral (56/2), Mingo (20/3), Monongalia (256/14), Monroe (15/1), Morgan (19/1), Nicholas (14/1), Ohio (109/1), Pendleton (13/1), Pleasants (4/1), Pocahontas (30/1), Preston (72/16), Putnam (65/1), Raleigh (61/1), Randolph (169/2), Ritchie (2/0), Roane (11/0), Summers (2/0), Taylor (16/1), Tucker (6/0), Tyler (5/0), Upshur (20/1), Wayne (116/1), Wetzel (16/0), Wirt (4/0), Wood (120/8), Wyoming (7/0).