Closed religious communities such as the Amish are high-risk populations for the spread of both infectious diseases and public health misinformation, according to sociologists from West Virginia University who are working with data from Amish and Mennonite settlements to understand the COVID-19-related beliefs and behaviors prevalent within their communities.
Long before COVID-19 entered the picture, West Virginia had been battling two other major public health crises: opioids and HIV. Dr. Sally Hodder, a leading infectious disease expert at West Virginia University, believes that despite the threat of COVID-19, the opioid and HIV epidemics should not be ignored.
Dentistry students at West Virginia University will benefit from a generous gift made in honor of a late alumnus who launched a family legacy at the School of Dentistry.
From severe weather events to crimes on campus and important safety updates, West Virginia University uses its WVU Alert system to inform the campus and surrounding community about emergencies and incidents on or near the Morgantown campus.
West Virginia University confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 have been detected in the Morgantown area – two are WVU students. Genetic sequencing of samples from the WVU Medicine testing program detected the B.1.1.7 variant in Morgantown campus test samples analyzed this week. The University is working closely with the Monongalia County Health Department in its case investigation and contact tracing. It is believed that the three individuals who have tested positive for the variant are related to one another and have not visited the WVU campus during their infectious period.
West Virginia University scientists knew it was coming. When health officials confirmed the first three cases of a COVID-19 variant in West Virginia late Friday (Feb. 19), they were not surprised. In fact, WVU researchers had, in recent weeks, already formed a partnership with colleagues at Marshall University and the Department of Health and Human Resources to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants.
In an ongoing effort to support West Virginia University’s commitment to keeping its campus community and others safe, the School of Public Health is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct an eight-week mask observation study.
West Virginia University Thursday (Feb. 18) announced the Starbucks location at The Market @ UPlace will temporarily reduce its operating hours due to staffing limitations following a COVID-19 exposure at the storefront on Thursday, Feb. 18. The adjusted hours of operation for next week are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The storefront will be closed on Saturday, Feb. 20, and Sunday, Feb. 21. Starbucks is expected to resume normal hours of operation beginning Saturday, Feb. 27.
West Virginia University has made several updates to its COVID-19 procedures after reviewing the latest COVID-19 numbers on the Morgantown campus and within Monongalia County.
Dr. Mark Lee is building on the legacy Dr. G. Robert Nugent left behind following his 50-plus years at WVU. As chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery for the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Lee hopes to continue growing the Department via an endowed chair position created in Nugent’s memory. An additional $300,000 in private support is needed to fully fund the endowment.