General Population COVID-19 Changes
As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved, so have public health mitigation strategies and guidance. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ Bureau for Public Health continues to transition from universal case and contact tracing to a more strategic approach of targeted case investigations and outbreak investigations. This pivot is an important step as the pandemic moves toward becoming an endemic in West Virginia, and the world.
If you test positive for COVID-19, the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department will promote self-care education to all positive cases but will no longer conduct universal case investigation and contact tracing, release from quarantine, or return to work letters. Please follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance if you test positive or have been exposed to COVID-19.
K-12 School Case Management Changes
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, continues to provide updated information regarding COVID-19 and case management. Following discussions with local health departments and school superintendents, the WVDHHR has worked with the West Virginia Department of Education to revise the school guidelines for COVID-19.
Given the quick spread of the Omicron variant and its rapid clinical course, public health recognizes it has made contact tracing in schools impractical when combined with the newly reduced timelines for quarantine and isolation set by the CDC. Vaccination and a universal mask policy are critical components to ensuring a safe school environment. Therefore the new revised guidance allows schools to discontinue universal contact tracing when layered prevention strategies are in place including a universal mask policy.
This essentially is a Mask to Stay approach that is similar to Ohio and North Carolina.