Four new COVID-19 cases reported as Upshur County turns yellow in Tuesday’s DHHR update

Brian Bergstrom
September 8, 2020

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported four new COVID-19 cases in Upshur County on Tuesday, likely including those involved in the outbreak at the courthouse that was announced in an emergency meeting Monday.

The Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department announced two additional cases shortly after the state’s 10 a.m. update, bringing the total to 52.

The increase in cases means Upshur County turned yellow for the first time on the state’s color-coded county alert map.

Upshur is currently reporting 4.14 new cases per day, normalized to a 100,000 population, on a seven-day rolling average basis. If that number increases to 10 or higher, the county would turn orange and athletic competitions would be prohibited.

The Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department reported Tuesday morning that eight cases are active.

Statewide, the DHHR announced that 86 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Mountain State on Tuesday. The daily percent positive was 6.02%, likely reflecting lower testing levels over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Three additional deaths have been attributed to the disease, according to the DHHR – a 63-year old female from Kanawha County, a 78-year old female from Putnam County, and an 85-year old female from Kanawha County.

On the first day of school, West Virginia is still reporting the highest rate of transmission in the country with an R-naught of 1.29. That metric measures has fast the virus is spreading — below 1.0 means the number of cases are contracting, while above 1.0 indicates the virus spreading at an increased rate.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports as of 10 a.m., on September 8, 2020, there have been 462,547 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 11,661 total cases and 250 deaths,” according to a press release.

New cases were reported Tuesday in Berkeley, Cabell, Calhoun, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Logan, Marion, Mason, Mingo, Monongalia, Nicholas, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Upshur and Wayne counties.

A record 2,784 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 8,627 people have recovered and 250 have died.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (35), Berkeley (837), Boone (157), Braxton (9), Brooke (102), Cabell (595), Calhoun (19), Clay (29), Doddridge (13), Fayette (420), Gilmer (20), Grant (144), Greenbrier (106), Hampshire (93), Hancock (132), Hardy (76), Harrison (304), Jackson (219), Jefferson (394), Kanawha (1737), Lewis (36), Lincoln (126), Logan (522), Marion (232), Marshall (134), Mason (123), McDowell (74), Mercer (350), Mineral (147), Mingo (282), Monongalia (1433), Monroe (138), Morgan (41), Nicholas (58), Ohio (297), Pendleton (45), Pleasants (15), Pocahontas (45), Preston (142), Putnam (352), Raleigh (393), Randolph (228), Ritchie (6), Roane (37), Summers (21), Taylor (110), Tucker (12), Tyler (15), Upshur (50), Wayne (300), Webster (7), Wetzel (45), Wirt (8), Wood (324), Wyoming (72).