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Since our last report, the West Virginia National Guard received authorization from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to increase the number of personnel on federal activation status to 400 in support of COVID-19 response operations.
The federal government will reimburse the state for 75% of the related costs.
Currently, there are 379 members of the WVNG on duty under Title 32 status, with additional service members available to provide assistance to the state when needed.
During Friday’s press briefing with Governor Jim Justice, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer shared news of the passing of a civilian employee of the West Virginia National Guard workforce, Toney Colagrosso, from complications of COVID-19.
“Toney was a dedicated and devoted man who served honorably not only as a former Guardsman who retired as a master sergeant, but also returning to work to assist Guardsmen and their families with any and all Tricare needs,” said Hoyer. “We are mourning his loss today and his passing serves as a stark reminder of the magnitude of this disease and the importance of doing what we can to protect those around us who are vulnerable. That includes following the guidelines of social distancing, mask wearing and staying home when sick.”
“We ask that all West Virginians join us in prayer for the Colagrosso family and the families of every West Virginian who has passed away from COVID-19 or complications from this disease,” Hoyer added.
The Guard completed the installation of the final WiFi hot spot at Coonskin Park in Kanawha County as a part of Governor Jim Justice’s Kids Connect initiative this week. Additional information on the Guard’s armory hot spot locations is available at www.wv.ng.mil/covid-19.
Increased support for the state’s epidemiology regions has been an ongoing focus for the Guard over the last several weeks, as the organization has added additional personnel to reach 70 service members on duty for this mission. These Guard personnel provide assistance to local health departments by way of conducting voluntary COVID-19 mapping, case investigation or supplementary manpower for other duties.
Testing support has continued to increase this week from both Task Force CRE and Task Force Medical as they completed nearly 3,000 COVID-19 tests throughout the state in multiple counties each day. Test lanes will be held in Wayne, Braxton, Berkeley, Morgan, and Monongalia Counties over the weekend and into next week. In addition, Task Force CRE completed multiple disinfection missions including the completion of Mt. Olive prison, which equates to more than 4 million cubic feet of facility space.
Members of Task Force CRE also provided support to Mildred Mitchell Bateman Hospital in Cabell County on Thursday last week by offering assistance with facility assessments and reconnaissance for facility disinfection for a later date.
As of this release, the WVNG has provided the following for the citizens of West Virginia:
• Distributed 19,311,600 pieces of PPE to all 55 counties
• Performed 48,430 COVID-19 tests at various testing lanes or support missions
• Conducted 632 vehicle disinfections and 161 facility disinfections across 22 counties
• Trained 834 businesses, 111 long term care facilities or medical practices and 4,838 civilians on COVID-19 prevention best practices
• Produced 220,639 pieces of PPE
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.19.2020 09:05 |
| Story ID: | 381187 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, WV, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, W.Va. Guard receives authorization to increase personnel in support of COVID-19 response, by Maj. Holli Nelson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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