Local doctor offers guidance as 65 new COVID-19 cases are reported in West Virginia on Thursday

The medical director of the Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department has released a set of recommendations for county residents as COVID-19 cases continue to rise locally.

A new case was reported in Upshur County Thursday morning by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, but it was removed in the 5 p.m. update, leaving the county with 13 cases. According to the DHHR, the patient who tested positive was found not to be a resident of Upshur County.

“Due to the current rise in COVID-19 cases in Upshur County, it is the recommendation of medical director Dr. Joseph Reed and the Upshur-Buckhannon Board of Health that all residents and visitors to Upshur County use face coverings and practice social distancing, and those who have traveled or are traveling to a large or crowded vacation area to self-monitor / quarantine for 14 days upon return,” according to a statement from the Board of Health that was released Wednesday night.

The board also supports any additional restrictive requirements imposed by employers, the statement says.

The guidelines came as the United States reported the highest single-day increase in new COVID-19 cases to date on Wednesday. West Virginia is one of 26 ‘hot spot’ states that are experiencing increases in both the average number of cases and the positive test rate.

Overall, DHHR announced that 65 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Mountain State on Thursday.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports as of 5 p.m. on June 25, 2020, there have been 159,962 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 2,694 total cases and 92 deaths,” according to a press release.

New cases were reported Thursday in Berkeley, Cabell, Fayette, Greenbrier, Harrison, Jefferson, Kanawha, Marion, Mercer, Mingo, Monongalia, Ohio, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Wayne, Webster and Wood counties.

About 700 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 1,902 people have recovered and 92 have died.

CASES PER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case): Barbour (15/0), Berkeley (423/18), Boone (19/0), Braxton (3/0), Brooke (8/1), Cabell (102/3), Calhoun (2/0), Clay (10/0), Fayette (64/0), Gilmer (11/0), Grant (15/1), Greenbrier (57/0), Hampshire (40/0), Hancock (18/2), Hardy (41/1), Harrison (55/1), Jackson (142/0), Jefferson (214/5), Kanawha (278/8), Lewis (15/0), Lincoln (5/0), Logan (21/0), Marion (53/2), Marshall (38/1), Mason (16/0), McDowell (6/0), Mercer (30/0), Mineral (52/2), Mingo (13/3), Monongalia (147/14), Monroe (8/1), Morgan (19/1), Nicholas (8/0), Ohio (78/0), Pendleton (12/1), Pleasants (4/1), Pocahontas (23/1), Preston (56/14), Putnam (49/1), Raleigh (42/1), Randolph (154/1), Ritchie (2/0), Roane (11/0), Summers (1/0), Taylor (13/1), Tucker (6/0), Tyler (3/0), Upshur (13/1), Wayne (109/1), Webster (1/0), Wetzel (9/0), Wirt (4/0), Wood (58/4), Wyoming (7/0).