Since beginning operations in support of the state’s COVID-19 response 50 days ago, the WVNG has completed 816 missions through our six lines of effort of operationalizing of the event, stabilizing the population, providing logistical movement of critical supplies, innovation, state surge capacity and capability, and conducting data analysis to combat the virus. Currently, 701 members of the WVNG are on duty serving the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
Yesterday, Task Force CRE provided PPE training to the Children’s Home Society in Romney, West Virginia, as well as area healthcare facilities and six retail establishments in the state. To date, this team has trained 684 businesses, 3,552 personnel and 83 medical or long-term care facilities.
In addition to training, this team have also conducted 279 COVID-19 tests for lane support and 2,508 tests as a part of their response mission.
During Thursday’s press conference, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the WVNG, announced that biological indicator results from a pilot project testing the sanitization of HVAC systems through aerosolized hydrogen peroxide were received and the test was validated at 99.999% effective. Task Force Innovation recently conducted this test at the Federal Aviation Administration building in Charleston. This team will work to refine the process and look to do additional testing at long-term care facilities next week for further evaluation and validation.
West Virginia Guard personnel assisting in sanitization lanes for first responder and public transport vehicles have sanitized 274 vehicles in two locations – Huntington and Charleston – which includes ambulances, police vehicles and public transport buses.
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. Yesterday, this team delivered PPE supplies to 28 counties and so far this week has provided supplies to all of the 55 counties in the state. To date, they have delivered more than one million items across West Virginia
In the last 24 hours, West Virginia Guardsmen and women assisted packing 1,514 box meals at the Mountaineer Food Bank, and 5,200 pounds of frozen food was packaged at the Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington. In addition, this team delivered 4,000 meals to Putnam County. To date, they have packed 103,767 meals and delivered 69,877 meals to assist those facing food-insecurity in the state.
West Virginia National Guard medical personnel augmenting DHHR’s regional epidemiology teams were able to support 205 voluntary COVID-19 mapping engagements. To date, the state’s seven regional epidemiology teams have conducted more than 4,935 voluntary COVID-19 mappings.
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.