By Charles Young, WV News
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s hospitals are on track to have 500 COVID-19 patients by Labor Day, James Hoyer said Thursday.
A tabletop exercise, which will determine potential strategies for backstopping and supporting the state’s hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities when this “benchmark for concern” is reached, is set for the beginning of August.
“Right now we are on a path, should things not change, somewhere right around the Labor Day (Sept. 5) time frame to be at that 500 mark in the hospitals,” said Hoyer, who leads West Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts.
While the state had the capacity to care for more than 800 hospitalized COVID-19 patients a year ago, the benchmark was revised to 500 in early June due to staffing shortages and other logistical concerns…
