With the entire world anxiously awaiting the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is certainly sobering to discover that, based on a recent poll from the Associated Press, only about half of Americans said they would get a vaccine. Roughly 30 percent weren't sure if they'd get vaccinated, and one in five said they'd refuse.
What's more troubling is that parents of young children are among those skeptical of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. They're fearful that it's too rushed, that to get it within a year would mean it's not safe. They don't want their family to be a "guinea pig," or they don't think it's worthwhile since they aren't high-risk for serious illness. They're "not an anti-vaxxer," they'll preface in message boards, but they are most certainly against this particular vaccine.
"Conspiracy theories about vaccines are at a record high right now," Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious disease epidemiologist now serving as the science communication lead at the COVID Tracking Project and a member of the COVID-19 Dispersed Volunteer Research Network, told POPSUGAR. "This is where my concern lies not in the safety of the vaccine," but in the efficacy of a vaccine that so many opt not to take.
"To date, the most effective vaccine we have is the measles vaccine," she said, which is about 98-percent effective. "We'd be lucky if the first approved COVID-19 vaccines were more than 70-percent effective." Combine that with the fact that staggering amounts of science denialism and vaccine hesitancy have a third of people unwilling to take it, and she's not optimistic. "Hypothetically speaking, if only 70 percent of the population get vaccinated with a vaccine that is not more than 70-percent effective, but is also safe, we'll get nowhere near the herd immunity that we need to protect our population. That worries me a lot."
To help ease parents' fears over vaccine safety, we've asked Rivera to debunk the most prominent concerns circulating among families right now.
The belief that the vaccine is being rushed is "a common misconception," Rivera said, that is categorically false.
"For starters, research on coronavirus vaccines had been in progress for years, after SARS and MERS," she said. That research had been paused, but they weren't starting from scratch. "We have legacy here studying the coronavirus family. We know what this virus does, we know how it replicates. We know its mechanism of attaching into cells, so we're not really operating with just seven months of information."
Further, she explained how the US regulatory system is designed to prioritize safety above all else: "When vaccines are in clinical trials, they move forward to the next phase when the goals are met, and in the early cases, the goals are safety and tolerability." If it's causing any "adverse events," then they stop the trial. "Why increase the risk of more adverse events?"
The US is now in Phase III for a handful of candidates, and by this stage, she said, they've already met those goals and are working to show the efficacy of the vaccine. "These studies involve tens of thousands of people in more diverse age groups," she said. And in studying the safety data that has been released so far, she noted the prospective vaccines have only gotten "very mild" reactions.
Unfortunately, thanks in part to a vehemently debunked claim by a discredited doctor that the MMR vaccine had a connection to childhood autism, even news of a "very mild" reaction leads some to believe there's a sizable risk to the vaccine when there is not.
"Transparency's really important," Rivera said. "Adverse events happen, but they are incredibly, incredibly rare. They are not even considered statistically significant when you consider the proportion of people who are vaccinated with no outcomes compared to the rare instances when it does. There are zero things in this world that involve zero risk, however the data is overwhelming to show that they're safe and effective, and they've only gotten safer and more effective over time."
With most emerging vaccines, they are distributed based on need.
"Personally, I don't think that children would be on the top of the list because of the clinical data that suggests they are not experiencing the worst outcomes, statistically speaking," she said.
Instead, she predicts the vaccine will go first to those who are most at risk of exposure or suffering complications due to COVID-19. "It will go to frontline workers and healthcare workers. They'll want to then give it to people who are older, people who are average adults who seem to be succumbing most to the disease, and then they'll move from there to other high-risk categories based on age and other demographics."
Another reason parents could expect to be eligible for a vaccine before their children is that "vaccine trials are designed to focus on healthy adults first, because that's the majority of people," Rivera said. "They want to make sure that it's the most tolerable, the most effective there, and then work their way out in concentric circles."
Despite the best efforts of the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the US saw the childhood vaccine rate plummet since the pandemic began in March. Routine vaccines help protect children from 16 serious diseases, but in some communities, there was upwards of a 60-percent decline in them being administered. According to the CDC, among 5-month-old babies, up-to-date status declined from approximately two-thirds of children in recent years to fewer than half as of May.
"Please do not lapse on vaccines," Rivera implored, noting that doctors' offices are taking appropriate measures to keep everyone safe and that the vaccine schedule was specifically designed to prevent outbreaks. "If we have a measles outbreak in tandem with COVID, absolutely it's going to be a disaster."
Short answer: they do.
"To be at risk of flu and COVID during flu season is a nightmare," Rivera said. "If you can reduce your risk at all, reduce your risk. Get the flu vaccine. It will likely protect you from some strain, and if it doesn't and you still get the flu, you will be a lot better for it. You won't be severely sick and you'll recover much more quickly."
And to those who think COVID-19 will be just another flu-type illness we'll have to deal with for years to come, Rivera notes a promising point of difference.
"Influenza has eight strands of genetic material inside the cell, which means that the possibility of combining mutations is much greater because there's all these combinations the possibility for mutation is large," she said, noting why flu vaccines aren't seen as being as effective as others. "COVID has one single strand of RNA, which means its likelihood for mutation is much less and it's much, much slower, so we don't anticipate that it's going to outpace vaccine development and we don't even anticipate it mutating to some unrecognizable, mutant, crazy strain. We can't predict, but we don't anticipate. That is good news."
The infamous "chicken pox parties" of decades' past, in which parents would purposefully expose their child to another kid with chicken pox in order to contract it and thus develop immunity, has been thrown about as a possibility for families amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"The reason why the chicken pox method worked is because most of the parents had chicken pox in their childhood, so [children] wouldn't come back and bring it to their parents," she said, noting that even then, if there was an older person in that house, they were at a high risk of shingles. "There's no way to completely target one group and hope that they just get it and deal with it."
She pointed to Sweden's approach to COVID-19 as a perfect example for how this philosophy doesn't work. "When you say, 'Let's just try to get to herd immunity with everybody walking about. Keep the old people home!' . . . Those people walking about went home and visited and hung out with old people and all the old people died."
Children, she said, "don't exist alone."
Nor do their parents. Rivera noted that COVID-19 isn't the only public health crisis we're facing that the misinformation that leads to people opting out of safe vaccines is a health crisis as well. "There is a type of person who just categorically denies the efficacy of vaccines or the efficacy of this potential vaccine, and they are adding to the fire."
Image Source: Getty / Images By Tang Ming Tung
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) The United Kingdom has come to the aid of countries in the region by providing access to vaccinations for COVID-19.
The Foreign Secretaries of the UK and Mexico, Dominic Raab and Marcelo Ebrard, have stated that ensuring equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and tests to all in the Caribbean and Latin America through international and regional collaboration, is the only solution to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were both speaking during a joint virtual seminar under the theme: Accelerating access to COVID-19 vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean. They were joined by senior policymakers and scientists from across the region.
The event was co-hosted by the UK and Mexico on Wednesday and highlighted the importance of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator to ensure global access to vaccines, treatments, and tests to face COVID-19.
The Caribbean and Latin American countries were represented by government officials from a variety of ministries and departments as well as representatives of development banks and health alliances, who highlighted the need for collaboration between governments, international institutions, and businesses.
In order to end this terrible pandemic and kick-start our global recovery, we must make vaccines, treatments, and tests accessible for all, from Britain to Brazil, Ethiopia to Ecuador, Turkey to Trinidad and Tobago, and everywhere in-between, said Rabb.
British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Janet Douglas said the interest in the seminar is proof of the urgent need for all countries across the hemisphere and across the globe to have equitable access to vaccines.
The coronavirus outbreak is the biggest public health emergency in a generation.
Finding a coronavirus vaccine and supporting equitable access to it, including for Latin America and the Caribbean countries, is a priority for the UK Government. The UK is collaborating with the international community to support the rapid development and manufacturing of safe, effective vaccines as well as treatments and tests to ensure widespread global access.
The UK has already committed up to 313 million of UK AID to support research and development for vaccines, treatments, and tests to ensure new tools are available to all, including the worlds poorest countries.
The UK also co-hosted Junes Global Vaccine Summit, which mobilized US$8.8 billion to replenish Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Gavis work in the poorest countries is critical to sustaining immunization coverage and bolstering the resilience of primary health care systems needed to tackle COVID-19.
In recent days, a study revealed the promising results of the Oxford University vaccine Phase I/II trials, one of a number of projects supported by the UK Government.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. It may be considered one of the most significant studies in our lifetime. Clinical trials to test COVID-19 vaccines are underway in the Triad.
PMG Research in Winston-Salem is one of many clinical research companies around the world testing a vaccine for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
For the next 26 months, patient volunteers will be monitored. They receive two vaccines at the beginning of the study, administered three weeks apart. Then at each office visit, they will have their blood drawn to find out if the vaccine is building antibodies.
We have to prove that the vaccine works and we also need to prove that there is an adequate immune response, where people are making antibodies to the vaccine, said Dr. Jonathan Wilson, the medical director at PMG Research in Winston-Salem.
Wilson says one of the most common questions hes asked during a vaccine study is, Are you giving me the virus?
The simple answer is no. Its not a live virus vaccine.
Its not any part of the virus that would actually make anyone ill. The technology is based on the spike protein thats on the outside of the virus and your body is making antibodies towards that, Wilson said.
The PMG Research facility in Winston-Salem expects 200 to 300 patient volunteers to participate in the study. Wilson says without volunteers, theres no chance at a vaccine.
Thats why we consider our patient volunteers as heroes because they are part of the process that is for the greater good, Wilson said.
Wilson says vaccines dont develop overnight. He would like to think they will have one by the middle of next year, but he says there is no substitute for safety and they cant rush the process.
Dr. Michael Lederman, Maxwell J. Mehlman and Dr. Stuart Youngner, Opinion contributors Published 8:00 a.m. ET Aug. 6, 2020 | Updated 1:30 p.m. ET Aug. 6, 2020
Pressure to create a coronavirus vaccine is increasing by the day, but for a safe vaccine to enter the market, it takes time. USA TODAY
Make vaccines free, don't allow religious or personal objections, and punish those who won't be vaccinated. They are threatening the lives of others.
To win the war against the novel coronavirus that has now killed over 158,000 people in this country, the only answer is compulsory vaccination for all of us.
And while the measures that will be necessary to defeat the coronavirus will seem draconian, even anti-American to some, we believe that there is no alternative. Simply put, getting vaccinated is going to be our patriotic duty.
The reason: When an effective vaccine is available for COVID-19, it will only defeat the pandemic if it is widely used, creating herd immunity. It is important to note that, during an epidemic, there is no threshold above which the protection conferred by herd immunity cannot be improved.Thus, the more people who are immunized, the lower the risk for all of us, including those who are not vaccinated.
Dr. Larry Brilliant, known for his role in helping to eradicate smallpox, says we can defeat COVID-19 if we can get our wits about us. USA TODAY
Nor is there an alternative to vaccine-induced herd immunity in a pandemic. Relying on enough people becoming infected and then immune is dangerous, as exemplified by the Swedish experience where theCOVID-19 mortality rateexceeds that of its more cautious neighbors.Broad induction of immunity in the population by immunization will be necessary to end this pandemic. In simple terms, a refusal to be vaccinated threatens the lives of others.
So here's what America mustdowhen a vaccine is ready:
Make vaccinations free and easily accessible.
Exempt only those with medical contraindications to immunization. It is likely that more than one vaccine platform will prove effective (as was the case for polio vaccines) and, as a result, medical conditions that prohibit all COVID-19 vaccines will be rare.
Do not honor religious objections. The major religionsdo notofficially oppose vaccinations.
Do not allow objections for personal preference, which violate the social contract.
How can government and society assure compliance with protective vaccines? Vaccine refusers could lose tax credits or be denied non-essential government benefits. Health insurers could levy higher premiums for those who by refusing immunization place themselves and others at risk, as is the case for smokers.
Unnerving toll: Sweden hoped herd immunity would curb COVID-19. Don't do what we did. It's not working.
Private businesses could refuse to employ or serve unvaccinated individuals, schools could refuse to allow unimmunized children to attend classes, public and commercial transit companies airlines, trains and buses could exclude refusers. Public and private auditoriums could require evidence of immunization for entry. The only legal limitation on government or private action is that it not be discriminatory, and its hard to see how discrimination would occur if vaccinations were free and accessible to all.
How then should immunizations be documented? A registry of immunization will be needed with names entered after immunization is completed. Adequate immunization may require more than a single vaccination, and the durability of protection by different vaccines may vary and may not be life-long, requiring periodic booster immunizations. Thus, immunized persons will need to receive expiration date-stamped certification cards, which should be issued to all who are immunized in the country, whether here legally or not.
These measures may seem draconian and would be costly, but insuring universal vaccination is a negligible sacrifice compared with the costs, deathsand social upheaval that a sustained pandemic is having on our country.
Q&A with epidemiologist: Coronavirus future in America will be like whack-a-mole
We acknowledge that the refusal to obey rules one considers unjust is an American tradition. But another cornerstone of the American tradition is that we come together when its necessary. The best example of this was during the two World Wars. Everyone contributed, no one was allowed to opt out merely because it conflicted with their sense of autonomy, and draft dodgers who refused to serve were subject to penalties.
True, conscientious objectors could refuse to use weapons for religious reasons, but they were obligated to help out in other ways, serving in noncombatant roles. There are no such alternatives for vaccination.
Dr. Michael Lederman (@mmlederman1)is Professor of Medicine atthe Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Maxwell J. Mehlmanis Professor of Law at theCase Western Reserve University School of Law. Dr. Stuart Youngneris Professor of Bioethics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
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If a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, as promising reports suggest could be the case by winter, 66 percent of U.S. residents say they will get vaccinated, but others may not because of fears of side effects or a mistrust of the healthcare system, a new survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern and Rutgers has found.
Seventy-seven percent of U.S. residents of Asian origin, 71 percent of Hispanics and 67 percent of white respondents say they were likely to seek a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, compared to 52 percent of Black respondents who are likely to do so.
David Lazer is university distinguished professor of political science and computer and information sciences with joint appointments in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University
A possible explanation for the discrepancy could be the populations historic mistrust and wariness of the U.S. health system, explains David Lazer, university distinguished professor of political science and computer and information sciences at Northeastern, and one of the researchers who conducted the study.
Hesitancy about being vaccinated is disproportionately among people who are distrustful of the system of science and doctors, he says.
His comments were underscored by the studys findings that individuals who have more trust in doctors and hospitals were decidedly more likely to seek vaccination than those who didnt (77 percent vs. 20 percent, respectively). The pattern was similar for those with more trust in scientists and researchers.
The impact of COVID-19 has been disproportionate among non-white Americans, in terms of infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths, researchers wrote.
The study of 19,058 people across all 50 states and the District of Columbia was conducted between July 10 and July 26, 2020. It asked residents if a vaccine against COVID-19 was available, how likely would they be to get vaccinated. Answers ranged from extremely unlikely to extreme likely.
Those with lower levels of education and lower incomes were also less inclined to seek the vaccine.
Only 58 percent of individuals without a high school education say they plan to get vaccinated compared to 78 percent with at least a bachelors degree. In turn, 59 percent of those who earn less than $25,000 a year anticipate vaccinating, compared to 78 percent who make more than $100,000 annually.
One finding that Lazer highlighted was that women were less likely to get vaccinated than men. Sixty-two percent of female respondents were less likely to say they would take the vaccine compared to 71 percent of men.
He could not pinpoint a specific cause, saying it warranted further study.
Itll be interesting to see the difference between women who have younger children versus not younger children, Lazer says. Because disproportionately its mothers who are dealing with health issues for children, and whether this reflects some degree of vaccine hesitancy remains to be seen.
Politics is another factor in who gets treated for the virus.
Sixty-two percent of Republicans and an identical number of independent voters say they would be likely to seek vaccination, compared to 75 percent of Democrats, according to the findings.
Those who wear masks consistently are more likely to seek vaccination, although the two behaviors are not perfectly correlated.
Forty-seven percent of those who say they are not following mask-wearing guidelines very closely say they were likely to seek vaccination, compared to 73 percent who say they were following guidelines very closely.
The findings show that the people who trust President Trump trust doctors and scientists less than the rest of the population, and the people who trust Trump are less likely to want to be vaccinated, but Trump is pushing the vaccines, says Lazer.
Does that cause some of his followers to say maybe the vaccine is OK? And conversely, does that mean some of the people who are very liberal say anything that Trump likes, I dont want it. That is a very plausible dynamic this fall.
For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.
TOPSHOT - A researcher works on a vaccine against the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Copenhagen's University research lab in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 23, 2020. (Photo by Thibault Savary / AFP) (Photo by THIBAULT SAVARY/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - A researcher works on a vaccine against the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Copenhagen's University research lab in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 23, 2020. (Photo by Thibault Savary / AFP) (Photo by
Photo: THIBAULT SAVARY/AFP Via Getty Images
TOPSHOT - A researcher works on a vaccine against the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Copenhagen's University research lab in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 23, 2020. (Photo by Thibault Savary / AFP) (Photo by THIBAULT SAVARY/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - A researcher works on a vaccine against the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Copenhagen's University research lab in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 23, 2020. (Photo by Thibault Savary / AFP) (Photo by
Who will be first in line for COVID-19 vaccine?
When the world has an approved COVID-19 vaccine, who should get that life-saving vaccine first? U.S. health authorities are hoping to release a draft of guidance on prioritization and how to best ration the initial doses by late August, according to the New York Times.
But now we're a getting glimpse at who will be at the front of the line. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced this opening recommendation last week: First, vaccinate 12 million of the most critical health, essential, national security workers. Next on the list would be the 110 million people at high risk from the coronavirus, including people over age 65 who live in long-term care facilities or people of any age who are in jeopardy with certain health risks or who are identified as essential workers.
COUPLE FIGHT COVID-19: Houston husband and wife both fighting COVID-19: "It can separate your family pretty quick"
"These are tough decisions, because everybody can make a case for why somebody should be ahead of somebody else in line," Bruce Gellin, former director of U.S. government's National Vaccine Program told Science. "Nobody's going to debate health care workers and first responders--people who are putting themselves at risk for others and keeping things moving. After that is when it gets complicated."
COVID-19's devastating toll on the elderly population could put them at the head of the line. The other suggested groups include soldiers, meat packers and grocery store workers whose specific professions or environment put them an increased risk, according to the journal Science.
Since COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on Black, Latino, and Native American communities, health authorities are also considering these communities for vaccine recommendations.
Should race or ethnicity be a criterion? CDC's Sarah Mbaeyi asked. Jos Romero, a pediatric infectious disease specialistwho chairs the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) thought these populations should get prioritization. If we fail to address this issue whatever comes out of our group will be looked at very suspiciously and with a lot of reservation.
If a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for use as early as late fall or winter as Dr. Anthony Fauci optimistically projected, it will likely be in very limited supply. Critical vaccine trials this summer hope to prove which of several experimental COVID-19 vaccines are effective and safe. Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. started tests last week that eventually will include 30,000 volunteers each. In the coming months, volunteers will also participate in vaccine trials from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax, according to the Associated Press.
alison.medley@chron.com
By CEO and scion Adar Poonawallas estimation, the Serum Institute in India has already poured hundreds of millions of dollars into scaling up the unproven Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford for use in low and middle income countries. Its meant taking on a risk that other companies, including AstraZeneca, have mitigated with huge amounts of government funding.
Now, for the first time, Poonawalla is getting some outside help. The Gates Foundation has agreed to pay the institute $150 million to supply 100 million vaccines to India and other emerging economies next year,Reutersreported. That includes both the vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the one being developed by Novavax. Those vaccines will be available in 92 countries and be priced at $3 per dose.
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It is easier than ever for advocacy groups to spread disinformation on pressing science issues, such as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. No, vaccines are not harmful. Yes, the use of biotechnology, GMOs or gene editing to develop antigens for treatments including vaccines are part of the solution. To inform the public about whats really going on, we present the facts and challenge those who don't. We cant do this work without your help. Please support us a donation of as little as $10 a month helps support our vital myth-busting efforts.
]]> DPX-Covid-19 is a slightly different vaccine approach compared to traditional approach. Credit: Jernej Furman.
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Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company IMV has announced that the government agencies of Canada will invest up to C$4.75m ($3.58m) in IMVs Covid-19 vaccine candidate DPX-Covid-19.
IMV will receive C$4.15m ($3.12m) as part of the Canadian National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), as well as from the Canada Opportunities Agency and Next Generation Manufacturing Canada.
Furthermore, IMV has received C$600,000 ($452,014) from the NRC IRAPs innovative assistance programme.
IMV plans to use funds generated from the financing to support the scaling up of DPX-Covid-19 manufacturing and a Phase I study of DPX-Covid-19 in Canada.
DPX-Covid-19 is a slightly different vaccine approach compared to the traditional methods.
It combines the traditional vaccine approach with immunotherapy to generate a targeted immune response (IR) against the virus.
IMV CEO Frederic Ors commented: Governmental organisations play a pivotal role in the fight against Covid-19.
Their contribution allows IMV to leverage our innovative DPX platform for the rapid development of a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus.
Vaccination is our best hope for ending the current pandemic. Based on our preclinical results and rapid development, we believe that both our vaccine and manufacturing approaches have the potential to be transformational for Covid-19, and we appreciate the governments support and confidence in our progress.
In November 2018, IMV revised its Phase Ib/II clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of DPX-Survivac in combination with epacadostat for the treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.
The West Virginia Department of Health andHuman Resources (DHHR) reports as of 10:00 a.m., on August 7,2020, there have been 312,521 total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 7,433 totalcases and 127 deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an81-year old female from Pleasants County, a 66-year old male from Mingo Countyand a 73-year old male from Mingo County. We offer our deepest sympathies to thefamilies as our state grieves more losses due to COVID-19, said Bill J.Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.
In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.
CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (29/0), Berkeley (658/28), Boone(97/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke (61/1), Cabell (364/9), Calhoun (6/0), Clay(17/1), Doddridge (5/0), Fayette (140/0), Gilmer (16/0), Grant (116/1),Greenbrier (91/0), Hampshire (76/0), Hancock (105/4), Hardy (57/1), Harrison(213/1), Jackson (162/0), Jefferson (288/6), Kanawha (885/13), Lewis (28/1),Lincoln (81/0), Logan (209/0), Marion (179/4), Marshall (126/4), Mason (54/0),McDowell (57/1), Mercer (177/0), Mineral (115/2), Mingo (156/2), Monongalia(918/17), Monroe (20/1), Morgan (25/1), Nicholas (35/1), Ohio (263/3),Pendleton (39/1), Pleasants (11/1), Pocahontas (40/1), Preston (101/21), Putnam(185/1), Raleigh (208/7), Randolph (204/4), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (15/0),Summers (7/0), Taylor (55/1), Tucker (11/0), Tyler (13/0), Upshur (36/3), Wayne(198/2), Webster (4/0), Wetzel (42/0), Wirt (6/0), Wood (231/12), Wyoming(31/0).
As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Preston County in this report.
Specificallyregarding the change in cases for Grant and Pendleton counties in this report,when the tests were administered in these counties the facility left someaddress fields blank therefore the address on file resorted back to thehistoric address on file for an individual which was not necessarily consideredtheir current address.
Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. Visitthe dashboard at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.
On July 24,2020, Gov. Jim Justice announced that DHHR, the agency in charge of reportingthe number of COVID-19 cases, will transition from providing twice-dailyupdates to one report every 24 hours. This became effective August 1, 2020.
