CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
At the direction of Governor Jim Justice, the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) is prepared to assist the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Bureau for Public Health with COVID-19 testing at the Huttonsville Correctional Center.
Over the weekend, the WVNG, in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and county health departments, completed COVID-19 testing of more than 2,300 citizens in Berkeley, Jefferson, Mercer and Raleigh counties.
This weekend, Task Force CRE and Task Force Medical will provide assistance for high-density population testing in Cabell, Kanawha, Marion and Monongalia counties.
To date, Task Force CRE and Task Force Medical have conducted 2,839 COVID-19 tests for 88 lane support missions and 3,065 tests as a part of their overall response mission.
Since beginning operations in support of the state’s COVID-19 response 67 days ago, the WVNG has completed 1,115 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, 684 members of the WVNG are on duty serving the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
Task Force CRE is continuing to provide PPE training for various businesses, state agencies and first responders. To date, this team has trained 725 businesses, 4,018 personnel and 100 medical or long-term care facilities.
“The Guard will continue to focus on our current response model and will be working with our state agency partners to develop plans for further reopening of the state which includes testing strategies, sanitization and disinfection, and training,” said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, Adjutant General of the WVNG.
In the last 24 hours, West Virginia Guardsmen and women assisted in the delivery of 2,310 meals to Webster, Tyler and Braxton counties via refrigerated trailer.
Task Force Sustainment, our team dedicated to receiving and moving critical supplies across the state, delivered PPE to 8 of 55 county emergency managers yesterday.
West Virginia Guard personnel assisting in sanitization lanes for first responder and public transport vehicles have sanitized 411 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 101 voluntary COVID-19 mapping engagements and 68 expedited specimen transfer to the state lab. To date, the state’s seven regional epidemiology teams have conducted more than 7,287 voluntary COVID-19 mappings.
This weekend, WVNG leaders also welcomed home members of the 130th Airlift Wing from an overseas deployment. These men and women were deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and provided combat airlift and mobility support to the U.S. Air Forces Central area of responsibility.
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