--- title: West Virginia Is the Last State to Report a COVID-19 Case description: West Virginia on Tuesday became the last U.S. state to report a confirmed case of the coronavirus COVID-19. Testing has been scarce there. canonical: https://time.com/5805097/west-virginia-covid-19-testing/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-03-17T23:24:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-17T14:55:46.000Z article:section: Health og:title: West Virginia Just Became the Last State to Report a COVID-19 Case og:description: It was only a matter of time og:url: https://time.com/5805097/west-virginia-covid-19-testing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f0b6fda22f20ca6/698a0baa97cdff77e76ba7cd/covid-19-test.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Coronavirus og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: West Virginia Just Became the Last State to Report a COVID-19 Case twitter:description: It was only a matter of time twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f0b6fda22f20ca6/698a0baa97cdff77e76ba7cd/covid-19-test.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 04:40 video:published: 2020-03-16 section: politics topics: virus guidelines, 15-day plan, social distancing, gatherings limit, schooling from home, discretionary travel, bars and restaurants, vaccine trial, antiviral therapies, senior citizens, millennials, White House Task Force genre: press briefing, government announcement tones: urgent, serious, reassuring, directive emotions: concern (high), determination (high), hope (medium), optimism (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: general public, parents, young adults, senior citizens, policy followers people: The President, Dr. Birx organizations: White House Task Force products: vaccine candidate, antiviral therapies content_suitability: health controversy [00:00-04:40]; politics [00:00-04:40] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # West Virginia Just Became the Last State to Report a COVID-19 Case. It Was Only a Matter of Time > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=50420857-e245-45a3-917f-7d89d8690616&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Releases New Guidelines to Slow Virus Spread [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Releases New Guidelines to Slow Virus Spread](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xbz3XMX2.m3u8) (4:40)  _Published 2020-03-16. Trump Releases New Guidelines to Slow Virus Spread_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Remarks announce new guidelines for every American to follow over a 15-day period to slow the spread of the virus. The speakers recommend schooling from home, avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people, avoiding discretionary travel, and avoiding eating and drinking at bars, restaurants and public food courts. They report on a vaccine candidate entering a Phase I clinical trial and early promising results on treatments. A second speaker addresses millennials directly, asking them to hold gatherings to under 10 people. The closing remarks urge Americans to read the guidelines carefully and adhere to them. ## Key points - New guidelines for every American to follow over the next 15 days were announced to combat the virus. (00:01) - Young and healthy people may have milder symptoms but can easily spread the virus, endangering others, especially senior citizens. (00:30) - The White House Task Force meets every day and continually updates guidelines based on the fast-evolving situation. (00:47) - Guidelines were toughened based on new modeling by Dr. Birx and consultation with governors, aiming to be ahead of the curve rather than behind it. (00:55) - Recommendations: school from home when possible, avoid groups of more than 10, avoid discretionary travel, and avoid eating and drinking at bars, restaurants and public food courts. (01:17) - A vaccine candidate has begun a Phase I clinical trial, described as one of the fastest vaccine development launches in history. (02:03) - Early results on antiviral therapies and other treatments are described as promising for reducing severity and duration of symptoms. (02:03) - Millennials are called the core group that will stop the virus and are asked to hold gatherings to under 10 people. (02:33) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:30] Announcing 15-day guidelines. The President announces new guidelines for every American and says each person has a role in stopping transmission. - [00:30 to 01:17] Risk to others and task force. Speakers warn that young and healthy people can spread the virus and describe the task force's daily updates and modeling. - [01:17 to 02:03] The specific recommendations. The administration lists recommendations on schooling, gatherings, travel and dining, and expresses hope for a quick turnaround. - [02:03 to 02:33] Vaccine and treatment progress. A vaccine candidate begins Phase I trials and early treatment results are described as promising. - [02:33 to 03:39] Appeal to millennials and Americans. A speaker asks millennials to limit gatherings and appeals to all Americans to protect each other. - [03:39 to 04:40] Closing: not an overreaction. The President defends the guidelines as well thought out and urges the country to read them and adhere to them. ## Key quotes - [00:08] The President: "Each and every one of us has a critical role to play in stopping the spread and transmission" - [01:17] The President: "We much rather be ahead of the curve than" - [02:03] The President: "This is one of the fastest vaccine development launches in history" - [02:33] Dr. Birx: "They are the core group that will stop this virus." - [04:15] The President: "It isn't an overreaction." - [04:24] The President: "So take a look at the guidelines, read them carefully, and we hope that the people of the United States will take them very seriously," ## Questions this video answers - What new guidelines were announced for Americans to follow over the next 15 days? [01:17] - Why are young and healthy people urged to follow the guidelines? [00:30] - What basis was given for toughening the guidelines? [00:55] - What progress was reported on a vaccine and treatments? [02:03] - What was asked of millennials? [02:33] - Does the President consider the guidelines an overreaction? [04:06] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:00-04:40]: Discusses a spreading virus, public health restrictions and the risk to senior citizens. - politics [00:00-04:40]: Government officials announce policy guidelines and defend them as not an overreaction.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Jan 17, 2024 2:55 PM UTCPublished: Mar 17, 2020 11:24 PM UTC  A dummy COVID-19 swab outside its sealed sterile tube during a demonstration. A dummy COVID-19 swab outside its sealed sterile tube during a demonstration. Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Jan 17, 2024 2:55 PM UTCPublished: Mar 17, 2020 11:24 PM UTC Every U.S. state has now reported at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, following a positive diagnosis out of West Virginia. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice confirmed the case Tuesday evening, saying it had been detected in the state’s Eastern Panhandle. “This is real and it’s really concerning,” Justice said. The case comes just a day after President Donald Trump praised Justice—who he called “Big Jim” at a Monday press conference—for “doing a good job” in keeping West Virginia free of COVID-19\. Doctors, lawmakers and West Virginians were quick to point out, though, that the state’s conspicuous lack of COVID-19 cases was likely due to limited testing capacity, rather than a singular stroke of public-health preparedness. Justice on Monday [declared a state of emergency](https://governor.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2020/Pages/COVID-19-UPDATE-Gov.-Justice-We-are-trying-to-be-ready-in-every-way-we-can-possibly-be.aspx), while Sen. Joe Manchin [tweeted](https://twitter.com/Sen%5FJoeManchin/status/1239951721738178560) earlier on Tuesday that “West Virginians should not let their guard down on #coronavirus just because we don’t have a confirmed case. We need to act now to prevent a catastrophic outcome for our state.” _Related:_ [_My Husband Is West Virginia’s First COVID-19 Patient. The State Almost Lost His Test Results_](https://time.com/5805571/james-vigil-west-virginia/) Pamela Brannon knows about the state’s limited testing capacity as well as anyone. She returned from a month-long trip from Uganda on March 8\. About a week later, a cough unlike any she’d had before settled deep in her chest. Brannon, 54, called her doctor on March 14, asking where she could get tested for COVID-19 near her home in Charles Town, W.V. She was transferred to a public health hotline where the answer came back in minutes: she couldn’t get tested, at least not in West Virginia. “There are no cases \[in West Virginia\] because they’re not testing,” Brannon told TIME Tuesday afternoon, shortly before the state’s first case was confirmed. “The thing that’s so scary about that is it’s going to give people a sense of false security.” She says she is not afraid for herself, but for those with poorer health and fewer resources than she has. People in every U.S. state [have been turned away](https://time.com/5802154/coronavirus-testing-questions/) from medical centers unable to meet demand for COVID-19 testing, due to slow rollout of testing kits to public-health agencies and stringent criteria meant to preserve available tests for the highest-risk patients. But in West Virginia—a state with [among the worst health outcomes](https://dhhr.wv.gov/hpcd/data%5Freports/Pages/Fast-Facts.aspx) in the country, and where about a fifth of adults do not have a health care provider—the situation has been especially bleak. State [health officials said](http://wvmetronews.com/2020/03/17/no-confirmations-in-west-virginia-but-limited-testing-capacity-raises-big-doubts/) only 84 West Virginians had been tested as of March 17, and only 500 test kits were available for the state’s roughly 1.8 million residents. Those 84 people had to meet a strict case definition to get tested. According to a statement issued March 16, the [state is prioritizing](https://dhhr.wv.gov/News/2020/Pages/COVID-19-Testing-Criteria-Explained-for-West-Virginia.aspx) testing for patients with respiratory symptoms or concurrent underlying conditions serious enough to require hospitalization and who have no other explanatory diagnosis, as well as people who are showing symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath; have had close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient or traveled to a heavily affected area; and have no other explanatory diagnosis. Providers must consult public health authorities before completing testing. There are signs that testing capacity is improving, both in West Virginia and [nationwide](https://time.com/5793605/coronavirus-testing-united-states/). West Virginia State Health Officer Dr. Cathy Slemp [told](http://wvmetronews.com/2020/03/17/no-confirmations-in-west-virginia-but-limited-testing-capacity-raises-big-doubts/) West Virginia’s _Metro News_ that availability of tests should improve as private labs roll out their tests, supplementing public-health supplies. A spokesperson at WVU Medicine, the state’s largest health care provider, also said it is working to develop its own test. While they’re a step in the right direction, those steps provide little solace to patients like Brannon. Brannon’s journey to testing spanned three different states. After being turned down in West Virginia, she called a hospital in Virginia, which told her she couldn’t get tested without authorization from her doctor. With few options left and ever-worsening symptoms, she drove to a hospital in Frederick, Md., where she waited about four hours to get medical attention. Even then, protocol mandated that doctors first test her for the flu and other respiratory illnesses, to rule those out before moving on to COVID-19. Late Tuesday evening, Brannon learned she had tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which typically causes cold-like symptoms but can be more serious for infants and older adults. She was told she likely did not have both RSV and COVID-19 and sent home. Even still, “I don’t feel 100% confident that I don’t have it,” Brannon says, noting that she lives not far from where the first COVID-19 case in West Virginia was confirmed. She plans to self-quarantine for two weeks, just in case. “I can’t believe what I’ve been through in the last few days. It’s incredible,” Brannon says. “Why did I have to drive 45 minutes from my home to get this test? I am worn out. 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