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CHARLESTON -- Four people are confirmed to have died from the virus in a 24-hour period since Tuesday morning, raising the death toll in the pandemic to 391 in West Virginia, the Department of Health and Human Resources reported Wednesday morning.
Also, Doddridge County on Wednesday was placed in the red level, the highest and most restricive level in the state's color-coded County Alert System map.
The department confirmed the deaths of an 83-year-old man from Berkeley County, a 73-year-old man from Kanawha County, a 94-year-old man from Kanawha County and a 67-year-old man from Summers County.
"Let's honor the lives of these West Virginians by remembering their contributions to our state and most importantly by doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 including wearing a mask and following the safety guidelines," Secretary Bill J. Crouch of the Department of Health and Human Resources said in the state's Wednesday morning COVID-19 pandemic update.
While the death toll was at 391 Wednesday morning, 41 people have died from the virus in the first two weeks of October, according to the data from the department. The most deaths in a one-month period, 98, occurred from July 31 to Aug. 31.
The state reported Wednesday 648,771 total confirmatory laboratory results received for the virus, of which there were 18,818 positive results, an increase 263 in the 24-hour period since Tuesday morning. It was the fourth time in October the increase over the 24-hour period exceeded 250 and the sixth time it exceeded 200 this month.
The highest increase was 382 more positive results from Oct. 8 to Oct. 9, according to the department data.
Active cases on Wednesday totaled 4,612, a drop of 75 since Tuesday, with 180 people in hospitals, 61 in an intensive care unit and 28 on ventilators.
Confirmed cases for local counties reported on Wednesday are: Calhoun (31), Doddridge (59), Jackson (334), Pleasants (21), Ritchie (20), Roane (79), Tyler (24), Wirt (22) and Wood (437).
Doddridge County is the only red county on the alert map. It was orange on Tuesday.
The infection rate was 25.37 per 100,000, an increase from 22.83 on Tuesday. Counties are classified as red at 25 per 100,000.
The Doddridge County Health Department Thursday reported 62 positive cases with one death, 23 active and 38 recovered including an inmate at the North Central Regional Jail.
Free testing will be held 1-4 p.m. today and 1-4 p.m. Friday at Doddridge County High School, 79 Bulldog Drive, West Union.