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Coronavirus

Free Kit

The most important website link you have seen this year may well be dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19. If you are a West Virginian, you can obtain a free COVID-19 test kit there and have it sent to your home. There, you can get a sample of your saliva at your leisure, send it back to the testing company, and learn within a few days where you are carrying the coronavirus and may be a threat to others — possibly even in your own family. Gov. Jim Justice revealed the free in-home testing option this week. It will cost the state $119 per test — but that will be money well spent. Identifying ...

Justice reveals who will get first vaccines

CHARLESTON — West Virginia’s first COVID-19 vaccinations will go to healthcare workers, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, public health officials and first responders, Gov. Jim Justice said Friday. “There will be a limited supply of the COVID vaccine when it first becomes available,” Justice said during his regular COVID-19 briefing. “First and foremost, we’ve got to protect those that are running our critical health units.” Depending on when approval is granted by the U.S Food and Drug Administration, the state anticipates receiving approximately ...

W.Va. to offer free at-home COVID-19 tests

CHARLESTON — State officials announced Wednesday another option for West Virginians to get tested for COVID-19 without leaving their homes. Gov. Jim Justice said the state would pay for COVID-19 tests that use saliva instead of nasal swabs that can be sent to residents’ homes instead of requiring them to travel to a free drive-thru testing location. “I’m excited today to announce that we are now offering free in-home COVID testing,” Justice said. “It’s brand-new ... I encourage people to get tested.” West Virginia is partnering with New York-based Vault Health to ...

Justice decries latest COVID-19 death numbers

CHARLESTON — As COVID-19 death totals in West Virginia continue their ghastly climb, Gov. Jim Justice expressed both his condolences and his frustration. According to the Department of Health and Human Resources, 778 West Virginians have died from the coronavirus as of Wednesday. Since Justice’s last COVID-19 briefing Monday, 43 people died from the virus during the first two days of December. “This is absolutely a tragedy that’s going on all across our nation, and we’ve got to take it so seriously right here,” Justice said. “It’s unbelievable.” While the ...

‘Captain Cindy’ battling impact of COVID-19

CLARKSBURG — In her 30-year career as a firefighter, Clarksburg Fire Department Captain Cindy Murphy has never encountered a public health challenge as far-reaching as the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus’ attack on the public’s health is more obvious than it’s impact on first ...

W.Va. sees worst month yet during COVID-19 crisis

CHARLESTON — With West Virginia closing the chapter on November and state officials expressing hope the vaccines can be distributed in December, the state experienced its worst month ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The bottom line is we can’t stop this today,” Gov. Jim Justice said Monday during a COVID-19 briefing at the State Capitol Building. “All we can possibly do is cut this thing off at the pass if we can stop the chain reaction of what is going on.” According to data from the Department of Health and Human Resources, the number of positive cases over a ...