Health

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 University supporters can boost the impact of their Day of Giving contributions Wednesday, March 3, by taking part in a number of fundraising challenges planned throughout the day.

Neuroscientists at WVU are pursuing new hopes for a disease that often seems hopeless: Alzheimer’s. Rashi Mehta—a researcher with the School of Medicine and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute—and her colleagues are pursuing focused ultrasound as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

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 has made several updates to its COVID-19 procedures after reviewing the latest COVID-19 numbers on the Morgantown campus and within Monongalia County.