CHARLESTON, W.Va. – From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 29 and 30 another round of free COVID-19 testing will be offered in Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Kanawha and Mineral Counties. The program is part of the governor’s plan to increase testing for minorities and other vulnerable populations.
Tests will be offered at the following locations on both days unless otherwise noted:
- Berkeley County: Musselman High School, 126 Excellence Way, Inwood, WV 25428
- Jefferson County: Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV 25414
- Kanawha County: Shawnee Sports Complex, One Salango Way, Dunbar, WV 25064
- Mineral County (Friday, May 29): American Legion Piedmont, 10 Green Street, Piedmont, WV 26750
- Mineral County (Saturday, May 30): School Complex, 1123 Harley O. Staggers Senior Drive, Keyser, WV 26726
- Morgan County: Warm Springs Middle School, 271 Warm Springs Way, Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
Residents must bring identification, such as a driver’s license or proof of address. Those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Last weekend testing sites in Monongalia, Kanawha, Cabell and Marion Counties conducted 3,065 total tests.
Monongalia County reported the highest number of tests at 1,013 and no positive results. In Cabell County, 640 people were tested and two results were positive.
Kanawha County officials say 837 people were tested and two positive results were reported.
Marion County Health Officer Lloyd White says during two days of testing at Windmill Park in Fairmont they tested 575 people.
“We have two positives, those came back on Saturday,” White said,”From Saturday to now we have no additional positives from the testing.”
Because both positive tests were attributed to community spread, contact tracers are working to notify others. White says contact tracing can be a long process.
“If you can’t make contact with them via phone or email we’ll actually go to the house and pay them a visit,” White said,”And that’s what we did with one of those.”
White says Marion County has a total of 51 cases, evidence that social distancing and other guidelines are working effectively.
“We can do better. We can’t let our guard down,” White said”If we do this thing could skyrocket in a heatbeat, so continue to do what’s right will get us to where we want to be sooner rather than later.”
According to Bill Crouch, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources 56 percent of the 640 people tested in Cabell County were African American. In Marion County the percentage was 48 percent, 21 percent in Kanawha County and 8 percent of those tested in Mon County were African American.