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Health

WV Prevention Research Center initiatives address COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic created a barrier to care for West Virginians living with chronic disease, meaning many residents needed to find a new way of managing their health. The West Virginia Prevention Research Center, housed in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, is providing support to organizations that needed to quickly adjust their focus, an extension of its already community-focused mission.

WVU experts encourage healthcare providers, institutions to build trust with communities of color to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates

While West Virginia is one of the nation’s leaders in COVID-19 vaccine delivery, some folks in the state—notably people of color—may be hesitant to receive the vaccine. Experts at West Virginia University point to misinformation about how the vaccine works and a long-standing mistrust of government and medical institutions as reasons for lower vaccination rates among Black Americans.

West Virginia’s enduring, intertwined epidemics: Opioids and HIV

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.

WVU confirms presence of COVID-19 variant in community

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.