KINGWOOD, W.Va. – The number of COVID-19 cases in Preston County traced to trips to Myrtle Beach has grown to 16 after four more positives were reported Friday. Health Department Administrator V.J. Davis says that number is likely to climb as hundreds of tests are processed and contact tracing continues.
“None of the 16 are hospitalized and all 16 of them are treating at home, meaning they’re isolating at home,”Davis said,”I think the fact that all 16 of these are relatively young is helping matters.”
Davis says all 16 of the victims have been communicating regularly with health department officials.
“Some individuals have not had any symptoms at all, we’ve had some individuals that just have mild symptoms,”Davis said,”And we have some that have a little more advanced symptoms.”
Contact tracing has become the key way to contain the outbreak. Davis says some people call and voluntarily identify and others have difficulty remembering all the people they’ve had contact with in the past 14 days.
“To say 100-percent for sure that we’ve identified every single contact associated with all 16 of these individuals, that’s something we may never completely know,”Davis said,”But, we’re identifying as many as we possibly can.”
Davis says contact tracing is very labor intensive and by the first of the week they may have help from the West Virginia National Guard.
“By Monday we probably will have a couple of guardsman helping,”Davis said,”But, right now we’re doing it all in-house as well as our Regional Treat Preparedness folks are stepping in and helping a little bit with it.”
As the economy continues to reopen there will be more options, and Davis says we need to choose wisely.
“If you’re going to choose to go to any beach or a crowded amusement park where you’re going to be around people from all over the country and all over the world,”Davis said,”You’re exposing yourself to a high likelihood that you’re going to come in contact with the coronavirus.”
Several other COVID-19 cases in Putnam, Kanawha, Cabell, Taylor and Logan Counties have traced to trips to Myrtle Beach.