MORGANTOWN – The Delta variant continued as the topic of the day at Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing from the governor’s office.
Gov. Jim Justice said the number of Delta cases in the state bumped up from 12 to 15, and is now in six counties. The Department of Health and Human Resources dashboard hadn’t been updated to reflect that, so it was not possible to see what counties the new cases were in. As of Wednesday, Monongalia County had the highest total, with five cases.
COVID-19 Czar Clay Marsh offered his regular update on Delta, saying that on June 16, Delta cases were 10% of the nation’s total; on Wednesday, they were 51%. Missouri was hardest hit, with 96% of its new cases from Delta.
Unlike with other variants, he said, kids aren’t as resistant. At a Georgia overnight camp, 344 of about 600 kids were tested and 244 were positive, with ages 6-10 the most common group testing positive.
Marsh also repeated his pitch to get vaccinated, saying that in June, everyone who died of COVID in Maryland was unvaccinated. Across the nation, about 98% to 99% of those who are dying are unvaccinated.
Marsh urged parents to protect their children who are not yet eligible for vaccines. Asked how they should do that, he said to use the same precautions everyone used before the vaccines became available.
Avoid crowded places full of people you don’t know, especially indoor spaces. Have them wear masks if possible and socially distance. Practice good hygiene, including hand-washing.
On another note, Justice said the state’s cumulative positive rate fell below 5% for the first time since Dec. 31. It was 4.99% on Thursday.
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