While active COVID-19 cases continue to inch up, what Gov. Jim Justice appears more concerned about is what he believes, as do state health officials, of the impending arrival of highly contagious Delta variant of the disease.

 

Justice talked about both at today’s COVID press briefing. He said the active cases in the state is now up to 1,225. On July 9, the state had 882 cases.

 

“This is a little concerning. They continue to move up. That’s not good,” said Justice.

 

As for the Delta variant, which is the leading variant in the nation, it is still lagging well behind in West Virginia. However, the numbers again have jumped. Justice said there are now 35 confirmed cases of the variant, which is up from 22.

 

Justice said he wasn’t super concerned at this point for the cases in the Mountain State, but that it is super concerning what is taking place with the numbers nationally.

 

“The health experts tell you this thing is coming. One of (former President Donald) Trump’s leading officials, health officials (former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb), told everybody the other day if you’re not vaccinated, you’re going to get this Delta variant,” said Justice.

 

Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s COVID czar, said a study in India, where the Delta variant originated, showed two-thirds of all people tested had COVID antibodies.

 

“This is a piece of evidence that supports that,” said Marsh, talking about Gottlieb’s comments.

 

Marsh said currently that 83 percent of all new cases are Delta variant cases. He added that there are a thousand times more virus in aerosol droplets in the Delta variant as opposed to the initial virus.

 

Justice again sent a plea to the state’s younger residents, which are the demographic well under the state and national average.

 

“Young people, we need more and more and more of you get vaccinated. School is getting ready to start. There are so many opportunities coming in your life,” said Justice. “You need to get vaccinated.”

 

Marsh backed that, saying the unvaccinated are at great risk – particularly children. He said he is not being an alarmist, but that officials care about state residents.

 

“With school coming up … it’s very important for those eligible being vaccinated,” said Marsh, who said a five-year-old from Georgia died due to COVID.

 

Justice urged people to be respectful of those not getting the vaccine. However, he also offered a word of caution for those who may have high-risk loved ones that are unable, for whatever reason, to get the vaccine.

 

“You’re worried to death about them. And all around you are your friends and neighbors saying they’re not getting vaccinated. Then a couple of your friends and neighbors become infected and, sure enough, they bring it, not intentionally, right to your house,” said Justice. “And the loved one you really care about is the ICU unit. How do you feel? Surely, you couldn’t feel good.”

 

Justice provided his regular update on long-term care, churches, and prisons in the state. Justice there are currently two outbreaks in the long-term care facilities, while there are five outbreaks in churches in four counties. One of the churches is in Marion County. In the prison system, there is one inmate and four staff members who are positive.

 

Two days after Justice announce there were no deaths related to COVID-19 from the previous press briefing four days earlier, Justice read off the ages, gender, and counties of 14 deaths. Of those deaths, only three were recent.

 

Eleven of the 14 deaths reported in today’s DHHR dashboard report are a result of the Bureau for Public Health’s continuing data reconciliation with the official death certificate. One of the deaths was from December 2020; two were from April 2021; two from May 2021; while five of the deaths occurred in June 2021; and three in July 2021.