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ELKINS -- Three local residents were among the 47 new COVID-19-related deaths reported by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Monday.
The deaths of two Randolph County men were included on the list, an 81-year old and a 58-year old. The third local resident was a 60-year old man from Barbour County. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in West Virginia is now at 3,769.
Davis Medical Center reported on Monday that currently 21 COVID-positive patients are hospitalized at the facility. Six of those patients are being treated in the intensive care unit. Five of those in the ICU are on ventilators, officials said.
The good news, however, is that the active case numbers in both the state and immediate area continue to decline. The Randolph-Elkins Health Department reported on Monday there are 130 active cases in the county; that's down significantly from last Monday's count of 201. There were 412 active cases in Randolph on Sept. 17.
"We've had a steady decline for the past three and half weeks or so," Bonnie Woodrum, the Randolph-Elkins Health Department's infectious disease specialist, told The Inter-Mountain Tuesday. "It's come down steadily but we are still getting new cases reported, and we're getting them from a lot of younger people.
"They're not coming in as fast and that is a big relief. But the hospital's numbers are not going down yet. Hopefully they do pretty soon, though, because they've really been stretched to the limit."
There may be some other good news on the COVID horizon, as it appears the first pill to treat coronavirus could be available within months. Molnupiravir has shown to prevent hospitalisation, serious illness and death in COVID patients, although it is still in late-stage clinical trials.
"It's not even been approved for emergency use yet, but they have high hopes for it," Woodrum said of the new drug. "It's an antiviral and we've had those for several years to use against things like chicken pox and shingles. They've been working on this one for a long time and it looks like it may be a real boom."
The Randolph-Elkins Health Department is currently offering boost and regular vaccine doses by appointment only. The boost doses are currently only available for those 65 and over and for those with a compromised immune system.
"We are still getting candidates for vaccinations, but we're getting more candidates for boost doses," said Woodrum. "We're still pushing vaccinations because that is the best protection against serious illness, hospitalizations and death. People still need to take precautions though because a lot of people still may be positive and not show any symptoms at all. Even people who have been vaccinated might pick it up and carry it when they have no symptoms themselves."
PCR testing for COVID-19 is still available five days a week in the old IGA parking lot next to the health department.