WVU in the News: COVID-19 at nursing home shows community spread
Residents testing positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a Monongalia County nursing home was a significant development, health officials said.
Based on current knowledge, it was the first case of community transmission in the state of West Virginia, said Dr. Jeff Coben, dean of the School of Public Health at West Virginia University.
While the investigation is still ongoing, no connection has been determined about how the resident came in contact with the carrier or whether the carrier had traveled to or from an area where the virus is widespread, which leads to the possibility of contact with an asymptomatic carrier, according to Coben. The carrier who doesn’t show symptoms has the potential of spreading the virus to other people, too, he said.