Jim Justice: West Virginia first coronavirus case reported

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice confirmed the state’s first coronavirus infection Tuesday evening and mandated that all bars, restaurants and casinos shut down.

The case is in the Eastern panhandle of the state, the governor said, adding that only takeout will be available at bars and restaurants.

“It’s a serious, serious time,” said. Mr. Justice. “We knew it was coming. We’ve prepared for this, and we shouldn’t panic. We should be cautious. We should be concerned, but we should not panic. We should go ahead and try to live our lives as best as we can.”

Until yesterday, West Virginia was the only state that had not reported a coronavirus case.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar for Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said he suspects that testing in the state had not been wide enough to pick up cases.

The state’s public health lab had tested 137 patients as of Tuesday — far fewer than neighboring states with more confirmed cases. Test results for 14 patients are pending, 122 tested negative and one tested positive.

“There is no plausible reason why one state would have no cases when there are contiguous states that do,” said Dr. Adalja, noting that areas adjacent to West Virginia, such as Washington and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania, have reported cases.

Pennsylvania on Tuesday confirmed at least 96 cases of COVID-19 after testing more than 970 individuals suspected of having the respiratory illness. Ohio has confirmed at least 67 cases and monitored more than 330 people.

Virginia has tested more than 1,000 people and confirmed at least 67 cases. Meanwhile, Maryland has confirmed at least 57 coronavirus cases. Since private labs and hospitals are ramping up testing, the Maryland Department of Health said it no longer reports the number of negative or pending tests.

Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, on Monday said it is “naive for us to think” the coronavirus is not already in the state, noting that 76% of the community are at high risk, The Exponent Telegram reported.

“If it [the coronavirus] does take off and we don’t have healthcare ability to defend ourselves, it could be devastating,” he reportedly said during a press call.

Dr. Tom Frieden, president of Resolve to Save Lives and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said if there are few cases in a community, then every suspected case and contact with symptoms should be promptly tested.

“That is crucial to help stop the outbreak if possible in that area,” said Dr. Frieden.

Federal officials are trying to amp up efforts to expand testing amid criticism over the pace of and lack of access to testing as cases in the U.S. climb.

More than 5,900 coronavirus cases and 100 deaths have been confirmed in the U.S., a COVID-19 tracker by Johns Hopkins University shows.

The Trump administration expects to roll out more than 1 million tests this week, Brett Giroir, HHS assistant secretary for health, told reporters Sunday.

Testing is available in all 50 states now with commercial labs jumping on board to assist with testing. Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading the coronavirus task force, said state public labs have been using a manual approach for testing, which allows for 40 to 60 tests a day, but that the administration is turning to private labs for help with high speed testing.

More than 10 states, including New York, Colorado, Washington state and Texas, have also built their own drive-thru testing. The U.S. can now test about 37,000 patients a day, according to data published Monday from the American Enterprise Institute.

A mishap with the first tests distributed by the CDC contributed to the lag in testing.

Dr. Frieden said something “clearly went wrong” in the rollout process for coronavirus testing, noting the CDC successfully distributed more than a million tests during the 2009 H1N1 epidemic in less than three weeks.

“In the current COVID response, it also appears that the FDA was slow to allow laboratories to develop their own tests, and private sector labs were slow to recognize the need for a commercial test – and it’s commercial companies that provide the bulk of the testing for most diseases. For now, we need to focus on getting tests to those who need them as soon as possible,” said Dr. Frieden.

Since early March, West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human Resources have prioritized two groups for COVID-19 testing through its state lab: seriously ill individuals hospitalized or at high risk of complications and individuals at medium-to-high risk of having been infected.

“Testing for COVID-19 may not be appropriate for everyone,” said Dr. Cathy Slemp, a state health officer. “A provider’s decision to order COVID-19 testing is based on several factors, including clinical judgment and the availability of testing supplies and lab resources.”

“We are also working with local and federal partners to build novel testing systems as supplies and resources are made available federally,” she said.