West Virginia is currently the only state in the United States without a confirmed case of COVID-19. But there could be a flood of casualties in store for the rural Appalachian state, as a recent study suggests that West Virginia may have the highest at-risk population in the nation.
West Virginia is currently the only state in the United States without a confirmed case of COVID-19. Yet as the pandemic continues to spread, there could be a flood of casualties in store for the rural Appalachian state, as a recent study suggests that West Virginia may have the highest at-risk population in the nation.
Currently, West Virginia’s status as the lone state with no reported cases of the coronavirus is more indicative of a lack of available testing than lack of casualties. As of Monday, 84 people in West Virginia had been tested for the coronavirus, with 80 negative results and 4 pending results. And in West Virginia, vulnerable populations make up a considerable chunk of the state’s inhabitants. A study released Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 51 percent of West Virginia adults age 18 and older would be at a higher risk of serious illness if infected with COVID-19 — more than any other state, and 20 percentage points higher than neighboring Washington, D.C. And a quarter of adults below the age of 60 were also considered higher risk — again, more than any other state.
“What might be a little bit of a unique issue is we have a large number of elder parents in West Virginia,” Allen said. “They’re taking care of their grandchildren. We’ve had a lot of children that are in the foster system because of opioids and drug issues. And so we have a lot of elder parents, and they’re the primary caregivers of children who could be asymptomatic carriers.”
The center, which includes a black lung clinics program, is one of nine black lung clinics in the state, and Criss says its clinic alone treats close to 500 patients. She says that although there aren’t any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia, the center is encouraging patients to practice social distancing.
Brenda Marion, director of New River Health Breathing Center, said the center doesn’t currently have access to coronavirus testing.
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