In the first eight months or so of the COVID 19 pandemic, Morgan County, West Virginia was largely spared the ravages of the virus with only 70 confirmed cases up until two weeks ago.
But over the past two weeks, that number has almost doubled.
That’s according to Dr. Kevin McLaughlin of the Morgan County Health Department in Berkeley Springs.
“Now we are seeing a significant transmission rate,” McLaughlin said yesterday on Talk Radio WRNR’s Eastern Panhandle Talk with Rob Mario and David Welch. “We just had a 13 percent positivity rate (October 21). A month or two ago it was zero or close to zero.”
“Morgan County has been quite lucky with the lack of COVID. Up until October 8 or so, we had about 70 cases in the first eight months or so of the virus. Since October 8, we’ve had almost that number of cases again.”
McLaughlin says it’s not just about schools re-opening.
“It’s about interactions. The more interactions with people, the more chances of spreading the virus.”
“It’s not just about the schools. The transmission of the virus is everywhere. You are as likely to get it at Sheetz or Food Lion or Martin’s. Small intimate groups, having dinner or having a meeting. It’s all about exposures.”
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus web site puts the number of Morgan County cases at 134 as of October 24, 2020. (Story updated to reflect October 24 numbers.)