Gov. Justice and state officials provide an update for media on COVID-19 preparedness and response plans. For more information about COVID-19 prevention and more, call the State’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-887-4304 or visit Coronavirus.wv.gov.

Workforce West Virginia has now received more than 150,000 claims since March 1, 2020. The backlog of claims was cleared as of Thursday, April 23, 2020. There are some claims which need manual input due to erroneous information. These are being handled on a case by case basis.

Testing at nursing homes in West Virginia continues. The Governor said this testing may flow into the following week. The goal is to get the more than 28,000 residents and staff tested. Gov. Justice said the results are better than what was feared by state leaders.

When a positive case is found, such as was discovered at the veteran’s home in Barboursville, that person is isolated, preventing further infections in that location. The Governor suggested people watch the movie “The Last Full Measure” to gain an appreciation of what veterans sacrifice for the nation.

Many people have voiced concerns about what is happening in West Virginia prisons and jails. The Governor said testing at jails is ongoing. As of 1:30 p.m. on Thursday there are zero positive cases in the state jails.

There are 704 National Guardsmen on duty to support the State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guard has delivered 140,000 meals to food banks since the beginning of the outbreak.

23 Long Term care facilities have complete testing. There are two orders to help provide better transparency on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those orders went into effect immediately. The rule changes will allow for collection of additional data to assist in the implementation of public health programs and help control the spread of COVID-19.

One order requires the reporting of any COVID-19 positive individual who died with the disease and another order gives DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health the ability to publicly identify long-term care facilities with COVID-19 positive cases among residents and/or employees.

“These orders align with Governor Jim Justice’s efforts to gather and report important data that will help in the implementation of public health programs to control the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Cathy Slemp, State Health Officer and Commissioner for DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health. “The rule changes also allow for a more comprehensive dashboard report which will include nursing home cases. We hope to share that very soon.”