COVID hospitalizations trend upward in Kanawha County

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After weeks of increasing COVID-19 infections, West Virginia’s most populous county is seeing record hospitalizations even as more people get vaccinated.

Dr. Sherri Young

“The thing that got our attention over the weekend was a nearly 400 percent increase in hospitalizations in our region,” said Dr. Sherri Young, executive director and health officer of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.

Most of the patients are unvaccinated, Young said. The department identified 75 new cases since Thursday compared to less than five cases a day in early July.

“This is not a trend we want to see continue,” Young said on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”

There are two Delta variant cases in the Kanawha County, but Young said there could be more that haven’t been recorded yet.

“I have no reason to believe it’s anything except Delta. If it’s 83 percent of the cases across the country, then it’s very likely a majority of the cases here even if lab data doesn’t show it at the time,” she said.

Amy Shuler Goodwin

Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said creating better dialogue within the community is key to increasing vaccination rates.

“I understand there are reservations from some. I get that and I hear you. We need to get more and better information out there if people are still hesitant about the vaccine,” Goodwin said on Monday’s “580 Live” heard on MetroNews affiliate 580-WCHS in Charleston.

Goodwin said the city is engaging in “policy calls” again every day with health officials to discuss how to move forward. As of Monday, there were no plans to reissue masks mandates or stay-at-home orders in the city or county, but Goodwin said the conversation will be top of mind during meetings this week.

“It’s a scary time,” she said. “We still need to listen, learn and understand where people are coming from. It makes absolutely no sense for me to yell and scream and say ‘get the vaccine, you have to do it,’ No. Let’s talk about it.”

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department administered more than 360 vaccine doses in July. Across the county, 58 percent of residents over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated while 68 percent are partially vaccinated.

Young warned people can still get sick even if they’ve received all their shots; however, she said getting the vaccine will prevent even more loss of life.

“If we do have a few breakthrough cases and they stay out of the hospital, that’s still better than having to report deaths every day,” she said.

More than 7,000 people were vaccinated statewide since Friday.