W.Va. Breaks Record for Single-Day COVID-19 Deaths
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CHARLESTON -- With COVID-19 death numbers climbing to record levels, the death of a legend, the funeral of a police officer shot in the line of duty and the explosion at a chemical plant Tuesday night that left at least one dead, Gov. Jim Justice encouraged West Virginians to keep these people in their thoughts and prayers.
“We’ve had an upheaval of not very good news to say the least,” Justice said Wednesday during his COVID-19 briefing at the Capitol.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported Wednesday 31 deaths linked to COVID-19, making Wednesday the deadliest day since the pandemic started in March.
The state reported 60 COVID-19 deaths since Gov. Jim Justice’s Monday coronavirus briefing. Over the last seven days, 123 COVID-19 deaths were reported to DHHR -- 14 percent of the total 901 COVID-19 deaths since the very first death reported on March 29. The range of deaths reported Wednesday included a 49-year-old man from Mercer County as the youngest death, and a 94-year-old woman from Mineral County as the oldest death.
“The truth is really simple, West Virginia and it’s just this: you’re doing good in lots and lots of ways, but this killer is all amongst us everywhere,” Justice said. “We’re all being attacked in every way.”
The average age of the 901 COVID-19 deaths in West Virginia is 77, with 61 percent of all deaths occurring in people between the ages of 70 and 89. Deaths of people between the ages of 40 and 69 account for 23 percent, and deaths of people between the ages of 90 and 99 account for 14 percent. People in the younger age range between 20 and 39 account for only .8 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the state. More than 35 percent of deaths can be linked to long-term care facilities and nursing homes.
On Wednesday, the state reported 1,402 new COVID-19 cases received in a 24-hour period compared to Tuesday’s data. There are now 20,059 active COVID-19 cases in West Virginia, a 2-percent increase in active cases since Monday and a 15-percent increase in active cases over the last seven days.
West Virginia’s Rt number, the rate that shows how quickly the virus is spreading in the community, jumped from 1.04 and the 15th-best rate in the nation as of Monday to 1.13 and the 10th-worst rate in the country. Any Rt value below 1 means the growth of the virus is slowing, while numbers above 1 mean the virus is spreading.
As many times before, Justice encouraged West Virginians to wear face masks, practice social distancing, avoid large groups and gatherings, wash hands, and help keep older and vulnerable populations safe.
“The good Lord is in complete command, but we’ve got to do our parts too,” Justice said.
The night before Wednesday’s briefing, an explosion on the Chemours property in Kanawha County injured four people. The Kanawha County Commission confirmed Wednesday morning the death of one of those people, though no further details were released. The explosion caused a temporary shelter-in-place order until the fire was extinguished early Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, the City of Charleston laid to rest Police Officer Cassie Johnson, who was shot and killed while responding to a parking complaint on the city’s West Side. Joshua M. Phillips could be charged after he recovers from being shot by Johnson.
And on Monday, Chuck Yeager, a retired Air Force general who flew the Bell X-1 that first broke the sound barrier in 1947, passed away at the age of 97. Yeager was also a World War II ace fighter pilot and famed test pilot.