MORGANTOWN — Thursday’s COVID-19 press briefing by Gov. Jim Justice offered no new announcements, but more words of caution and state pride.
The daily positive case growth rate jumped to 3.1% Wednesday, a small spike upward, Justice said. But the cumulative and recovery rates are still trending well. Thursday’s numbers from the Department of Health and Human Resources were 1,297positives out of 57,995 test results – a 2.24% rate, with 51 deaths. The number of people recovered from COVID-19 was 716 compared to 476 active cases.
COVID-19 Czar Clay Marsh said that the R0 rate – how many people a single infected person might spread it to – went down slightly after three days of increases, from .9 Wednesday to .89 Thursday.
But other states are seeing case increases as they reopen, he said. Georgia saw its R0 go up and during the last week reported 231 deaths, a quarter of all deaths in the state to date. So they’ll be keeping an eye on states that are ahead of West Virginia in their reopening plans.
Marsh cautioned that things that happen today won’t be seen until 10 days to two weeks from now, and corrective actions taken two week from now won’t be realized for two weeks after that.
DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch addressed a question about reopening malls. “Other states have opened quickly, maybe too quickly, and have a lot of gatherings at malls that have not been beneficial in terms of containing this disease. So, I think we’re weeks away from that point.”
Justice answered a question about his governing philosophy and the standards he employs to guide these decisions. First, he said, “A lot of prayer.” Second, he seeks expert advice;”I talk to the world,” he put it.
Third, he has the ability to doubt himself, always look for a better answer, ask himself, “Am I missing something here.” When all that is factored in, he makes the best decisions he can.
He said he expects to announce guidance on reopening the Hatfield-McCoy Trail on Friday.
He dwelt for a time on West Virginia’s good statistics compared to other states. “Opportunity doesn’t stand there and look at you forever. You can’t study stuff to death,” he said. Someone needs to make a decision.
Becuase of that, he said, West Virginia was the first state to test nursing homes and is now the first to test at assisted living facilities.
“We are setting a national example,” he said. “People are paying attention to West Virginia.” And maybe they’ll think of us down the road. “We want any and every business opportunity, job opportunity to come right to us.”
WorkForce West Virginia Director Scott Adkins said WorkForce has processed more than 164,000 unemployment claims since March 16. That amounts to more than $151 million in regular state unemployment benefits and more than $225 million in the extra $600 provided by the CARES Act.
He reminded that workers who have exhausted or are not eligible for regular benefits should try to apply for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation at the WorkForce website, workforcewv.org. Self-employed, gig workers, independent contractors and those ineligible for PEUC should apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, he said.
The minimum PUA payment, he said, is $158 per week, which is 50% of the average states weekly benefit amount for the first quarter of 2020. Combined with the $600 extra provided by CARES, each PUA week provides $758. The first payment issued next week will include all prior eligible weeks.
Justice opened and closed his briefing by noting that Thursday was the National Day of Prayer and it’s good to take our requests to God. “He’s in control,” he said at the start. “He’s watching after us. He’s especially watching after West Virginia,” he said. And he closed, “Please let God know that we need him, and we need him really bad.”
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