This post is made possible by Fosters Marketing Group, a Buckhannon-based business that offers several affordable services — such as air duct cleaning, mold and mildew stain removal, pressure washing, paving and more — for both residential and commercial customers. Call them at 1-800-633-9266 or check out the Baceria Busters website.

Barbour County reports 204 new COVID-19 cases Saturday as virus claims more local lives

Brian Bergstrom
January 9, 2021

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Saturday that 1,880 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Mountain State, including 204 in Barbour County.

Two additional deaths were reported in Upshur County — both men, ages 78 and 91 — and more are expected after the Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department announced Friday afternoon that at least 11 Upshur County residents have now died from the virus.

COVID-19 also claimed the life of a 50-year-old man from Lewis County, the DHHR said.

Locally, new cases were reported in Upshur (12), Barbour (204) Lewis (9), Randolph (56) and Webster (5) counties. A total of 337 cases are currently active in Upshur County, according to the DHHR.

The increase in cases comes as local hospitals are straining under the influx of new patients. Davis Medical Center in Elkins said Friday they are currently at capacity and announced new procedures to streamline operations. St. Joseph’s Hospital has also added extra beds to deal with surges in cases.

The Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department also issued a plea for local residents to work together to slow the spread of the virus.

“We must work together to slow this virus down within Upshur County,” the UBHD said. “We have been in this pandemic for almost a year now and it is getting out of hand. The health department staff are doing their best to stay on top of it. Our case investigations, with the astronomical numbers we are seeing, makes it hard to keep up with, therefore we have been sending them to the National Guard for support.”

Thirteen additional deaths have been attributed to the disease, according to the DHHR:

a 75-year old male from Mason County,
a 91-year old male from Upshur County,
an 89-year old female from Cabell County,
a 93-year old female from Ohio County,
a 50-year old male from Berkeley County,
a 50-year old male from Lewis County,
a 78-year old male from Upshur County,
an 86-year old male from Berkeley County,
an 83-year old female from Monongalia County,
a 67-year old male from Preston County,
a 90-year old female from Hancock County,
a 69-year old male from Ohio County,
a 90-year old female from Preston County,
a 72-year old male from Marshall County,
an 85-year old male from Ohio County,
a 69-year old female from Kanawha County.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports as of January 9, 2021, there have been 1,629,749 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 99,778 total cases and 1,570 deaths,” according to a press release.

About 28,980 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 69.228 people have recovered and 1,570 have died. The daily percent positive was 8.12%.

A total of 88,128 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in West Virginia, the DHHR said. About 2.5 million doses are required to vaccinate 70% of the state’s population, since each vaccine requires two doses.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,158), Berkeley (7,283), Boone (1,190), Braxton (615), Brooke (1,615), Cabell (5,976), Calhoun (168), Clay (283), Doddridge (304), Fayette (2,008), Gilmer (475), Grant (868), Greenbrier (1,790), Hampshire (1,129), Hancock (2,143), Hardy (921), Harrison (3,587), Jackson (1,373), Jefferson (2,737), Kanawha (9,590), Lewis (641), Lincoln (908), Logan (1,915), Marion (2,420), Marshall (2,347), Mason (1,190), McDowell (1,078), Mercer (3,418), Mineral (2,246), Mingo (1,622), Monongalia (5,989), Monroe (740), Morgan (748), Nicholas (804), Ohio (2,820), Pendleton (388), Pleasants (685), Pocahontas (416), Preston (1,970), Putnam (3,282), Raleigh (3,209), Randolph (1,393), Ritchie (439), Roane (355), Summers (546), Taylor (834), Tucker (401), Tyler (439), Upshur (1,165), Wayne (1,935), Webster (190), Wetzel (806), Wirt (256), Wood (5,662), Wyoming (1,308).