Photo Courtesy/WV Governor's Office – Gov. Jim Justice talks about the number of coronavirus cases tied to West Virginia's schools.

WHEELING — Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department announced 12 new cases of COVID-19 in Ohio County on Wednesday — the same day a case was announced at nearby St. Clairsville High School and that West Virginia officials praised school personnel for limiting spread of the disease in state schools.

In Ohio County, the health department reported a total of 438 cases since the pandemic began, including nine probable cases and seven deaths. Investigation to date indicates that cases are associated with resident and nonresident vacation travel, group events including family gatherings, cases at higher education centers and cases with no other risk factor, which can be an indicator of active community spread. The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is monitoring three outbreaks at two local long-term care centers and a local university.

In Belmont County, St. Clairsville High School is closed today after reports Wednesday that a student tested positive for the coronavirus. County Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul added that his office was following procedure to determine if the virus has spread further.

St. Clairsville-Richland City Schools Superintendent Walt Skaggs said high school students are working remotely today.

“We’re hoping to be back in session on Friday,” he said, noting that the elementary and middle schools would be following their regular schedules.

“Their buildings were not impacted at this time,” Skaggs said.

Skaggs declined to say if the infected student participated in any sports events or if there are concerns about any particular staff members as contacts.

“That individual was here on Tuesday morning,” he said of the student. “We’re working closely with the Belmont County Health Department. Anyone that’s identified as a close contact will be notified by the health department directly.”

St. Clairsville joins Martins Ferry, Shadyside and Union Local school districts in Belmont County reporting positive cases since the school year began. Monroe Central High School in Monroe County is closed for the rest of the week due to confirmed infection. And Beallsville Elementary/High School closed earlier this year after a positive test result was received.

Sproul said Belmont County has 58 people actively infected and two more people have been hospitalized since Tuesday for a total of seven. There have been a total of 786 cases in Belmont County since the pandemic arrived and 697 recoveries. Sproul has reported 25 coronavirus-related deaths in Belmont County, including nine inmates at Belmont Correctional Institution.

Meanwhile, after roughly a month of in-person classes, Wet Virginia officials said the state’s schools are doing well at contyaining the virus.

“Nobody wants to do anything to endanger our children, but if you look at it fairly and look at it mathematically … really and truly today (school) is one doggone safe spot to be,” Gov. Jim Justice said.

According to the West Virginia Department of Education, only 0.02 percent of the state’s students and 0.3 percent of teachers and staff have had COVID-19 infections since schools reopened Sept. 8. Working with the Department of Health and Human Resources for contact tracing, most of the cases came from outside the schools.

Out of 691 schools in 55 counties, 24 schools in 17 counties have COVID-19 outbreaks, defined as two or more confirmed cases among students and/or staff in the same school setting from separate households during a 14-day period. Outbreaks are reported on the county level to the Department of Education and posted at wvde.us. Justice said 122 positive cases have been found in 39,074 teachers and staff in West Virginia.