CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department will hit 75 COVID-19 testing events since the pandemic began this week, according to the Kanawha County Commission.
Commission and health department leaders discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest numbers during the Tuesday meeting.
According to Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper, there have been 73 drive-thru testing centers, 23,000 citizens testes and 3,600 flu vaccines given out since March.
“The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department was the first health department in the state and maybe the country to institute testing of all members of nursing homes and assist living centers,” Carper said.
“The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department was the first health department in the state, maybe the country, to do flu shots at the same time they are doing COVID-19 testing.”
Just more than 40 active COVID-19 cases were added to Kanawha County’s total by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department (KCHD) in its daily report Tuesday.
According to KCHD, there are 821 active cases of COVID-19 in the county, up 41 from Monday. Recovered cases in the county are at 2,789. The total number of deaths in Kanawha County is 105.
Carper said the health department was prepared to fight the virus well before it got to the county because of the support from the commission and KCHD’s leadership.
“Kanawha-Charleston Health Department was the most prepared health department, has done an excellent job. Everyone in the world is looking at them, trying to figure out how to criticize them,” Carper said.
“Instead of criticizing Dr. (Sherri) Young and her team, they are copying what they do.”
KCHD is holding a testing event with free flu vaccines and HIV testing Wednesday at the Old Kmart parking lot on MacCorkle Avenue in Charleston from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
COVID-19 testing and free flu vaccines will also be available Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar.
Story by Jake Flatley