CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
“It is critical that as we reopen the state that West Virginians double down on following the guidelines put in place by Governor Justice and our public health experts to protect yourself and those around you,” said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the WVNG. “If just 60% of people wear a mask that is at least 60% effective, we can make a significant difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19. In addition, all West Virginians should be following the protocols when out in public for spacing, social distancing and personal hygiene. We cannot let our guard down now – West Virginia lives are on the line.”
During today’s press conference, Hoyer also recommended that West Virginians follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for how to properly wear a mask and that they obtain their information on best practices and prevention from reputable sources.
The WVNG has published numerous COVID-19-related how-to and best practice videos on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/WestVirginiaNationalGuard.
Since beginning operations in support of the state’s COVID-19 response 53 days ago, the WVNG has completed 837 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, 704 members of the WVNG are on duty serving the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
Today, Task Force Sustainment, our team dedicated to receiving and moving critical supplies across the state, reported that they have received enough PPE and have it on hand to meet any surge capacity needs for hospitals, first responders or long-term care facilities in West Virginia. This important feat has been achieved through the diligent work of the WVNG, West Virginia University, West Virginia Health Care Association, West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to forecast supply versus demand needs and procure the required amounts of PPE.
In the last 24 hours, West Virginia Guardsmen and women assisted packing 1,500 box meals at the Mountaineer Food Bank and 386 family meal boxes at the Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington. In addition, they will deliver 3,145 meals to Lincoln, Mason and Wood counties via refrigerated trailers.
Today, Task Force CRE is providing additional PPE training to the Paul Miller Home in Northfork while also supporting training for area healthcare facilities and retail establishments in the state. To date, this team has trained 701 businesses, 3,665 personnel and 84 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.
West Virginia Guard personnel assisting in sanitization lanes for first responder and public transport vehicles have sanitized 299 vehicles in two locations – Huntington and Charleston – which includes ambulances, police vehicles and public transport buses.
West Virginia National Guard medical personnel augmenting DHHR’s regional epidemiology teams were able to support 293 voluntary COVID-19 mapping engagements. To date, the state’s seven regional epidemiology teams have conducted more than 5,353 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.