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Coronavirus

Marsh: A new COVID vaccine coming this month

CHARLESTON — A Tyler County resident was among three people in West Virginia who died in the last week from the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Department of Health and Human Resources said. The department in its weekly pandemic report reported the death of an 85-year-old woman from Tyler County and the deaths of a 75-year old woman from Jefferson County and a 78-year-old man from Berkeley County. The death count since the pandemic started more than three years ago was 8,183 as of Wednesday, the department said. The death of the Tyler County woman was at least the fifth person from ...

DMC asks staff to wear masks temporarily

ELKINS — Davis Medical Center is temporarily asking staff to wear masks inside the hospital due to a “temporary and isolated” issue involving COVID-19, an official said. “This has been a temporary situation as we experienced an outbreak of COVID among staff in our family practice clinic,” Tracy D. Fath, Vice President of Marketing & Development for Davis Health System, told The Inter-Mountain Friday. “Next week, we will be clear of the ‘outbreak designation’ – which in healthcare is referred to as any time at least three employees test positive,” she noted. ...

Healthcare officials warn COVID-19 may spike soon

ELKINS — Local healthcare officials want the public to be aware that COVID-19 is still relevant and that there has recently been a small spike in positive test numbers among area residents. “Our numbers aren’t up dramatically for COVID, but they are increasing all over the state,” Bonnie Woodrum, the Randolph-Elkins Health Department’s infectious disease specialist, told The Inter-Mountain Friday. “We have been getting sporadic reports and I’ve gotten calls this week from people who have home tests, so it is increasing.”  Woodrum said a new vaccine will be coming ...

FDA advisors endorse updating COVID vaccines

(AP) — The COVID-19 vaccines are on track for a big recipe change this fall. Today’s vaccines still contain the original coronavirus strain, the one that started the pandemic — even though that was long ago supplanted by mutated versions as the virus rapidly evolves. The Food and Drug Administration’s scientific advisers said the next round of shots in the U.S. should only include protection against the newest variants that are now dominant worldwide — a branch of the omicron family tree named XBB. The FDA will make the final decision. Vaccine makers said during the ...

Capito pleased with end to vaccine mandate

PARKERSBURG — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said she’s pleased the annual defense authorization bill will include an end to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military but disappointed it will not deliver environmental permitting reform. “We’ve already lost 8,000 members of the military because, for one reason or another, they did not (get) the COVID vaccine,” Capito, R-W.Va., said during her weekly virtual briefing Thursday. The Associated Press reported that a compromise provision requiring Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind the requirement is in the National ...

Justice: COVID won’t be added to vax list

CHARLESTON — In an effort to stem the flow of rumors and conspiracy theories, Gov. Jim Justice said Monday that West Virginia would not be adding COVID-19 vaccinations to the list of childhood vaccinations required for children to enter schools. Speaking during a COVID-19 virtual briefing with reporters Monday morning from the State Capitol Building, Justice made it clear that a mandate for pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations would not being coming from the state. “In all the power I have, West Virginia will not — will not — mandate COVID-19 vaccines for kids,” Justice said. ...