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CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported Monday a drop of more than 8,200 active COVID-19 cases across the state since Friday when an all-time high was set.
The state also reported another 54 confirmed deaths from the virus since the last report on Friday, including four from Wood County, on Monday.
Active cases were reported at 21,490 in Monday's pandemic report from the DHHR. The state reported 29,744 cases on Friday, which exceeded the previous high of 29,257 cases in the second week of January. Another 1,318 new cases were received since the last update.
West Virginia may have reached the peak in active cases, a cautious Gov. Jim Justice said during his Monday pandemic press briefing.
"We believe we are right sitting on the peak," he said.
James Hoyer, head of the interagency task force on vaccines, predicted Monday as peak day, give or take, according to Justice.
"We do believe that the peak of the new cases is either here today or very quickly upcoming," Dr. Clay Marsh, coronavirus leader in West Virginia, said.
However, hospitalizations, including intensive care unit admissions and patients on ventilators, and deaths will lag behind, he said.
The vast majority of people in the hospital are unvaccinated. The state reported 961 people are in the hospital as of Monday with 799 of those without vaccination. Of the 287 in an intensive care unit, 256 are unvaccinated while 144 of the 160 patients on a ventilator are unvaccinated.
The number of hospitalizations exceeds the high of 818 reached on Jan. 5.
Wood County had 1,072 active cases on Monday, down from 1,510 in Friday's report.
Active cases in other counties in the region on Monday were (previous report): Calhoun, 144 (247): Doddridge, 108 (151); Gilmer, 49 (46); Jackson, 323 (324); Pleasants, 108 (143); Ritchie, 201 (249): Roane 153 (203); Tyler, 146 (251); Wetzel, 261 (391); Wirt, 73 (130).
Of the 54 confirmed deaths, nine were from this area: a 57-year-old man from Jackson County, a 70-year-old woman from Ritchie County, a 58-year-old man from Ritchie County, a 47-year-old man from Wood County, a 51-year-old woman from Wood County, a 77-year-old woman from Jackson County, a 68-year-old man from Wood County, a 93-year-old man from Wood County and a 55-year-old woman from Jackson County,
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, the number of deaths confirmed in Wood County is 199 people, with 68 in Jackson County and 14 in Ritchie County.
Statewide, deaths also were confirmed in Harrison, Raleigh, Cabell, Lewis, Mingo, Fayette, Monongalia, Kanawha, Hancock, Barbour, Hampshire, McDowell, Berkeley, Morgan, Nicholas, Taylor, Wyoming, Hardy, Mineral, Jefferson, Webster and Grant counties. The ages ranged from a 23-year-old woman from Kanawha County to a 96-year-old woman from Lewis County.
"As we continue the fight against this pandemic, we are devastated by the loss of more West Virginians and extend our deepest sympathy to the families," said DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch. "I urge you to schedule your COVID vaccine today."
Forty-three counties in the state are at the highest level of red on the County Alert System map based on infection rate and percent positivity.
Wood, Tyler, Wetzel, Doddridge, Ritchie, Wirt, Roane, and Jackson are red. Pleasants, Calhoun and Gilmer are orange, second highest.
No counties are green, the lowest level, and one county, Tucker, is yellow, second lowest in severity. The other orange counties are Ohio, Jefferson, Barnbour, Randolph, Pendleton and Greenbrier.
Lewis and Pocahontas are gold, mid-level in severity.
Wood County Schools reported 109 active, confirmed positive cases on Friday: Blennerhassett Elementary, 2; Criss Elementary, 5; Emerson Elementary, 4; Fairplains Elementary, 2; Franklin Elementary, 0; Gihon Elementary, 0; Greenmont Elementary, 4; Jefferson Elementary, 11; Kanawha Elementary, 2; Lubeck Elementary, 4; Madison Elementary, 2; Martin Elementary, 6; Mineral Wells Elementary, 3; Neale Elementary, 3; Vienna Elementary, 1; Williamstown Elementary, 5; Blennerhassett Middle, 2; Edison Middle, 2; Hamilton Middle, 2; Jackson Middle, 8; Van Devender Middle, 7; Parkersburg High, 24; Parkersburg South High, 4; Williamstown High, 5; WCTC/Caperton Center, 0; Central Office, 0; Transportation Department, 1; Maintenance Department, 0; Child Nutrition, 0.