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Coronavirus

Randolph COVID-19 cases near 100

ELKINS — With active COVID-19 cases in Randolph County continuing to rise and approaching triple digits, local health officials are again stressing the importance of vaccinations. For the second consecutive week, the number of active coronavirus cases in the county has nearly doubled. Two weeks ago there were just 26 reported before that number climbed to 53 last week. On Monday the total was closing in on the 100-case mark. “We are nearly at 100 active cases now,” said Bonnie Woodrum, the Randolph-Elkins Health Department’s infectious disease specialist. “We got 17 new ...

29-year-old among W.Va. COVID deaths

CHARLESTON — A 29-year-old man is among the deaths from the COVID-19 coronavirus, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported on Friday. The man is from Mineral County and is among the five deaths from the virus reported by the department in its Friday morning pandemic update. The death count as of Friday is 2,756 since the pandemic began about 14 months ago. Gov. Jim Justice, who reads the deaths one-by-one in his pandemic briefings, paused upon reaching the 29-year-old. “Boy oh boy,” Justice said. “That’s bad.” Deaths from the virus also were ...

Justice: mask mandate lifted for vaccinated

CHARLESTON — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Friday he is lifting the face covering mandate for residents who are fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Justice was reacting to the recommendations on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control that said people who have been vaccinated can go about without a mask. “It’s a good day. It’s a great day,” Justice said. The face covering requirement will remain in effect for those who are not fully vaccinated, Justice said. The governor plans to lift the mandate on June 20 provided about 65 percent of residents ...

Randolph Co. COVID cases double in a week

ELKINS — Active COVID-19 cases doubled in Randolph County in the past week, and health officials are growing increasingly concerned. A total of 53 positive cases in Randolph County were confirmed Monday, which is double that of the 26 reported last week. “Only three of the active cases are above the 50 year-old age group,” said Bonnie Woodrum, the Randolph-Elkins Health Department’s infectious disease specialist. “We have some in the 40s, but we also have a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 9-year-old, and an 11-year-old. And we also have an 18 year-old that went to one of the ...

Vaccine effort stresses patriotism

CHARLESTON — State officials Monday encouraged unvaccinated residents to step up like the generation of Americans during World War II and get immunized against COVID-19. James Hoyer, director of the Joint Interagency Task Force on Vaccine and the retired general of the West Virginia National Guard, referenced the sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation during World War II and pointed out that in the last 14 months, 160,000 more people died from the coronavirus than all the Americans killed during the war in four years. About 596,000 people have died from the pandemic. “Nobody ...

Common sense and masks

WASHINGTON — Just as the vaccine campaign against the coronavirus pandemic appears to be making progress, the chief White House official leading the effort has thrown a potential monkey wrench into the drive. She says that for those who are vaccinated, masks outdoors are no longer required. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), joined President Joe Biden Tuesday in announcing the change. She said: “Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what they cannot do. Today, I’m going to tell you some of the things ...