CHARLESTON — All but three West Virginia counties were red or orange — indicating the highest levels of COVID-19 spread — on the latest County Alert System Map released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Resources.

Six of the red counties are in the Mid-Ohio Valley: Wood, Wirt, Jackson, Roane, Tyler and Wetzel.

Calhoun, Gilmer, Pleasants and Ritchie counties are orange, the second-highest level based on the lower of the rate of infections per 100,000 people or percentage of positive tests.

Doddridge County is in the middle of the scale at gold, the only county in the state so designated. Pocahontas and Tucker are the only counties in yellow, the second-lowest category.

State officials have indicated they believe most of the new cases are a result of the delta variant of the virus, which is more infectious than the original. In addition, protection from the COVID-19 vaccines may be weakening over time, prompting the federal government to authorize third dose booster shots for immuno-compromised individuals. Plans are also being made to give booster shots to all Americans.

The genetic sequencing needed to identify a particular variant takes longer than a standard COVID test, so the statistics on variants are delayed.

Active cases in area counties as of Thursday were Calhoun, 35; Doddridge, 29; Gilmer, 36; Jackson, 99; Pleasants, 44; Ritchie, 43; Roane, 81; Tyler, 106; Wetzel, 270; Wirt, 25; and Wood, 533.

The state reported 13 deaths since Wednesday’s update, ranging in age from 50-year-old men in Monroe and Nicholas counties to a 94-year-old man from Marion County.

“This is another solemn day for West Virginia as we experience more deaths,” said DHHR Cabinet Secretary Bill J. Crouch. “Our hearts go out to these families for their loss. Please take every precaution to slow the spread of this disease, including vaccination.”

Local vaccination clinics will be held today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rosemar Urgent Care, 4 Rosemar Circle, Parkersburg; 3-6 p.m. at Gabe’s at the Park Shopping Center in Parkersburg; and 3-6 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Glenville.

Walk-in vaccinations are available from 9 a.m. to noon Thursdays at the Wetzel/Tyler Health Department, 425 Fourth Ave., Paden City; 9 a.m. to noon Fridays at the Minnie Hamilton Rural Health Clinic, 186 Hospital Drive, Grantsville; and 9 a.m. to noon Fridays at the Minnie Hamilton FQHC Clinic, 921 Mineral Road, Glenville. Many pharmacies are also offering COVID vaccinations.