CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
Today, members of the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) continued COVID-19 testing at Pilgrim’s Pride in Moorefield, West Virginia. The Guard worked in conjunction with the Pilgrim’s Pride facility, Hardy County Health Department and the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health. In addition, the Guard supported the Hardy County Health Department with a community drive through test lane where more than 160 citizens were tested.
The WVNG provided 48 personnel for COVID-19 testing which included 37 from Task Force CRE, 10 from Task Force Medical and one Spanish language interpreter from the WVNG’s State Partnership Program office.
The WVNG also transported tests to three labs in the state following completion the mission for expedited processing.
Today, Governor Jim Justice visited the state’s distribution center in Poca to recognize and thank WVNG members, WVDHSEM staff, Mountaineer Food Bank, Facing Hunger Food Bank and WVVOAD volunteers for the work they’ve done to support the state’s COVID-19 response efforts.
Since beginning operations in support of the state’s COVID-19 response 60 days ago, the WVNG has completed 973 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, 706 members of the WVNG are on duty serving the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
Hoyer noted yesterday that our response to COVID-19 has surpassed the amount of missions conducted for the 2016 flood, which in September that year peaked at 120. So far, in coordination with the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the WVNG has completed 151 E-Teams missions and has nearly 50 others pending.
Over the weekend, members of the WVNG communications staff assisted a children’s home society in Elkins with emergency broadband connectivity to facilitate telemedicine visits for
residents of the facility. Guardsmen responded to the facility within five hours of receipt of the mission and provided one iPad and a plum kit that produces internet connection.
In the last 24 hours, West Virginia Guardsmen and women assisted packing 1,446 box meals at the Mountaineer Food Bank and 216 family meal boxes at the Facing Hunger Food Bank. Today, 3,480 meals will be delivered to Braxton, McDowell, Tyler and Webster Counties via refrigerated trailers.
Task Force CRE is continuing to provide PPE training for children’s home society facilities and is expected to have visited all locations in the state by the end of the week. This team is also providing training to area healthcare facilities and retail establishments and have seven engagements scheduled today. To date, this team has trained 719 businesses, 3,807 personnel and 89 medical or long-term care facilities.
Task Force Sustainment, our team dedicated to receiving and moving critical supplies across the state, delivered PPE to 52 out of 55 counties yesterday through the local emergency managers.
West Virginia Guard personnel assisting in sanitization lanes for first responder and public transport vehicles have sanitized 345 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 199 voluntary COVID-19 mapping engagements. To date, the state’s seven regional epidemiology teams have conducted more than 6,399 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.
B-roll footage of current and ongoing WVNG missions are available at: www.dvidshub.net/units/wv-ang