While many debate numbers as it relates to COVID-19 in the state and across the country, one number that is hard to debate is hospitalizations. And today, Gov. Jim Justice sounded the alarm of concern on that front during his COVID press conference.

 

“We’re one (patient) short of 400 folks that are hospitalized,” said Justice. “Five hundred is the number our hospitals can comfortably handle.”

 

Justice talked about Retired National Guard Major General James Hoyer, the director of the state’s COVID Joint Interagency Task Force, and State COVID Czar Dr. Clay Marsh, have both said that due to staff shortages and other issues, the max the state can handle without issues arising in the state’s healthcare facilities is 500.

 

Marsh talked about that the hospitalizations are going up despite what is believed to be the plateauing of the BA.5 variant of COVID-19 nationally. West Virginia is typically several weeks behind the nation when it comes to national COVID trends.

 

“It reminds us we are not finished with COVID yet,” said Marsh.

 

Marsh said planning will be done to talk about hospital issues and how to handle problems if the numbers continue to rise with a tabletop exercise. He anticipates that the exercise will take place August 22 but will continue to monitor this situation.

 

“We’re working with the hospital association and hospital systems,” said Marsh. “The hospitals are currently not having capacity limitations, but hospitals are very busy today because many hospitals have big backlogs of surgeries that they may have put off due to the pandemic.”

 

Hoyer said previously he anticipated that the 500-mark could be met by the Labor Day weekend. As he ended his talk on hospitalizations, Justice again emphasized the need for booster shots.

 

“They can’t possibly be anything more important,” said Justice of the booster shot. “… It’s just absolutely silly not to get your booster shot.”

 

Other numbers were also inching upward. Justice said there are currently 105 individuals with COVID in the state’s long-term care facilities, while there are 76 inmates and 56 staff members dealing with the virus. He added there are no outbreaks in the state’s churches.

 

Justice started the press conference by reading the names of those who have died as the result of COVID-19 since his last briefing last Thursday. Justice read the ages, genders, and counties of those who have passed, which totaled 19, bringing the state’s pandemic death count to 7,192.

 

“The last thing on earth we want are any of these (families) to feel alone,” said Justice.