CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
Since beginning operations in support of the state’s COVID-19 response 43 days ago, the WVNG has completed 666 missions through our five lines of effort of operationalizing of the event, stabilizing the population, providing logistical movement of critical supplies, innovation and conducting data analysis to combat the virus. Currently, 704 members of the WVNG are on duty serving the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
Today, members of Task Force CRE will be providing PPE training to the West Virginia State Police and conducted sanitization of a daycare facility in Teays Valley this morning. Tomorrow, this team will conduct the first restaurant sanitization mission in Charleston. Members are also providing assistance for COVID-19 drive through testing lanes at one location, and continues to assist with N95 mask fit testing in Beckley and Parkersburg. To date, this team has trained 658 stores, 3,152 personnel and 67 medical or long-term care facilities.
Task Force CRE and Task Force Medical completed testing at nursing homes and state hospitals this week at the director of Governor Jim Justice. To date, this team has conducted 2,277 COVID-19 tests as a part of their response mission.
West Virginia Guard personnel assisting in sanitization lanes for first responder and public transport vehicles have sanitized 156 vehicles in two locations – Huntington and Charleston – which includes ambulances, police vehicles and public transport buses.
In addition to sanitization of vehicles, a team of Guard personnel from Task Force Innovation conducted a pilot sanitization test of HVAC ducts using aerosolized hydrogen peroxide yesterday at the Woody Williams Military Flight Operations Center in Charleston. This team will test the Federal Aviation Administration building next week to refine the process and identify additional processes or procedures for larger scale implementation.
Task Force Sustainment, our team dedicated to receiving and moving critical supplies across the state, continues their mission of distributing PPE to various county emergency managers and pushed supplies to two counties yesterday. During the week, this team delivered PPE supplies to all 55 counties in the state.
In the last 24 hours, West Virginia Guardsmen and women packed 2,307 meals at the Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway and assisted in the unpacking delivery items at the Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington. Both facilities will undergo inventory and sanitization over the weekend.
West Virginia National Guard medical personnel augmenting DHHR’s regional epidemiology teams were able to support 185 contact tracing engagements. To date, the state’s seven regional epidemiology teams have conducted more than 3,845 contract tracings.
All current and future missions performed by the WVNG are a part of a coordinated state-level public health preparation and response effort for the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, initiated by Governor Jim Justice, and being led by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.