Barbour County has confirmed its first case of COVID-19, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Wednesday. That was of one of 29 new cases reported statewide, the largest single-day increase since the first coronavirus case was found in West Virginia two weeks ago.
A second person in West Virginia has also died of complications related to COVID-19. According to a press release from the Jackson County Health Department, a patient with several underlying health issues passed away in a hospital there.
“This is a tragic development in this outbreak,” Dr. John Snyder, health officer for the Jackson County Health Department, said in a press release.
No additional information or details about the individual will be provided, the release adds.
The West Virginia news came as the United States surpassed 200,000 total confirmed cases of COVID-19. Worldwide, the number of known cases is rapidly nearing the 1 million mark, with more than 920,000 cases confirmed Wednesday.
The virus has killed more than 46,000 people.
New cases in West Virginia were reported Wednesday in Barbour, Berkeley, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Logan, Marion, Monongalia, Ohio, Putnam and Wetzel counties.
Gov. Jim Justice announced the state primary election would be pushed back a month, to June 9. Buckhannon mayor David McCauley said the city election, which is held on a common ballot with the statewide primary, would follow suit.
Justice also extended the statewide school shutdown to April 30.
Read about the governor’s press conference here.
The current known COVID-19 cases by county: Barbour (1), Berkeley (21), Cabell (1), Greenbrier (3), Hancock (6), Hardy (1), Harrison (14), Jackson (11), Jefferson (9), Kanawha (37), Logan (3), Marion (8), Marshall (4), Mason (3), Mercer (2), Monongalia (32), Morgan (1), Ohio (11), Pleasants (1), Preston (3), Putnam (5), Raleigh (3), Randolph (1), Roane (2), Tucker (2), Upshur (1), Wetzel (2), Wirt (1), Wood (2).
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