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With Christmas quick approaching, West Virginians must put critical thought into whether or not touring throughout a pandemic — out of state and even to a different home in the identical city to see mates or household, particularly for an prolonged time period — is the precise factor to do.
This week has offered fantastic information, as the primary doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived, and emergency responders are receiving the preliminary shot of the two-dose therapy, whereas a plan has been laid out to get vaccinations to these most in danger from the virus — the aged in nursing houses and assisted-living services — as shortly as attainable.
On the similar time, COVID-19 continues to unfold ever extra shortly in West Virginia, and vaccinations gained’t be out there for the overall inhabitants till March, in line with probably the most optimistic estimates.
Thursday morning, the state Division of Well being and Human Sources introduced one other 32 coronavirus deaths, placing the full at 1,071 and marking 92 deaths because the starting of the week. The positivity charge of exams statewide was greater than 10% on Wednesday and eight.13% on Thursday. Whereas Gov. Jim Justice downplayed Wednesday’s alarming numbers, saying there weren’t as many exams as regular (barely greater than 12,000), Thursday’s share comes from a day by which greater than 14,000 folks had been examined, typical for a 24-hour interval.
There have been 1,636 new circumstances reported Thursday, a brand new day by day excessive. Lively circumstances remained above 21,000, whereas cumulative circumstances, having simply crossed the 60,000 mark late final week, are close to 68,500. The DHHR’s color-coded threat map had 18 counties categorised as pink — the best threat for unfold and an infection — and 24 on the second-highest risk stage of orange. 9 counties had been on the gold stage, whereas solely three had been lower-risk yellow, and one county (McDowell) was listed at lowest-risk inexperienced.
These ranges had been decided principally by the decrease metric of optimistic check share in every county. If following the metric of circumstances per capita — which DHHR Secretary Invoice Crouch mentioned this week additionally ought to be heeded in figuring out threat — every of West Virginia’s 55 counties was pink.
So, West Virginians discover themselves in a precarious scenario. A giant a part of the answer to this disaster has arrived within the type of the vaccine, however the charge of deaths, new circumstances and hospitalizations is trending considerably upward with every day that passes.
Masks, social distancing and limiting interactions with these outdoors the house stay the most effective protection till everyone seems to be vaccinated, in line with public well being officers and the governor.
When eying vacation plans, West Virginians must ask themselves who they is perhaps endangering. It’s troublesome. Everybody want to be collectively for Christmas, and the danger might sound minimal. However even younger and wholesome people can carry and unfold the virus to others simply, and normally with out exhibiting any signs themselves. Contact with aged family and even strangers by journey or attending gatherings, like church companies, the place finest practices aren’t in place could possibly be deadly for somebody.
There’s maybe no vacation extra sacred than Christmas, however this 12 months, as counterintuitive as it could appear at another time, the most effective present is perhaps distance.
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