Shannon McBee,
MPH, CHES
State Epidemiologist
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, public health departments 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.
Prioritizing Case Investigations
Ayne Amjad, MD,
MPH Commissioner and State Health Officer
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health (BPH) understands that local health departments are facing continued unprecedented challenges and demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 24, 2022, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and several other federal partners released a statement recommending a revised public health approach to case investigation and contact tracing for COVID-19.
The criteria above are for prioritizing case investigation activities.
