There are now 17 additional cases of the coronavirus in West Virginia, bringing the total positive cases to 162, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Tuesday.
The state reported its first coronavirus-related death Sunday. The victim was an 88-year-old woman from Marion County, the Department of Health and Human Resources said in a news release.
To help stop the spread of the virus, Gov. Jim Justice ordered anyone traveling to the state from coronavirus hotspots to self-quarantine for two weeks. Hot spots include New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Connecticut, Italy or China, according to the governor's executive order.
The most confirmed positive cases are in Kanawha County and Monongalia County each with 31 cases, Berkeley County with 16 cases, and Harrison County with 11 cases.
There are 3,981 total negative cases following testing.
The pandemic has led to financial hardships for Williamson Memorial Hospital in Mingo County, and they are set to close in three weeks.
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“There is no option to obtain sufficient additional financing given its existing level of debt and the large losses currently being sustained by the hospital," hospital officials said in a statement. “The only option available to the hospital is to shut down its operations.”
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., called it “unconscionable” that any hospital would close while the virus spreads.
