Staff Reports

CHARLESTON — Wood, Wetzel, Roane, Calhoun, Tyler and Ritchie counties remained in the red zone of the County Alert System on Tuesday, the highest level based on rate of infection and percent positivity, according to the Tuesday morning pandemic update by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

The rates of infection and the percent positivity in the counties have increased each day for the past seven days, the statistics show. A county’s placement in the color-coded map, from the lowest green to the highest red, is based on the lower of the two statistics.

The rate of infection, based the number of new cases on per 100,000 people, in Wood County has risen from 30.28 to 57.33. In Tyler County, the rate rose from 30.76 to 99.77.

Wetzel County went from 38.88 to 74.44, Ritchie from 13.46 to 50.99, Roane from 18.26 to 56.36 and 16.08 to 69.33 in Calhoun.

Percent positivity in Wetzel County rose from 7.7 percent to 13.11 percent in the previous seven days. It rose from 5.05 percent to 12.26 percent in Tyler County.

The percentage rose from 3.81 to 9.72 in Ritchie County, from 7.05 to 8.72 in Wood County, from 3.55 to 12.19 in Calhoun County and 4.66 to 10 in Roane County.

Eighteen counties in the state are orange, second highest in severity, including Pleasants, Wirt, Jackson, Doddridge and Gilmer.

Thirty-five of the 55 counties are red. Tucker County is gold, mid-level, and Pocahontas County, is yellow, second from the lowest.

No counties are green.

Statewide, the department reported 16,743 active cases on Tuesday with 1,030 new cases received since the Monday update.

Active cases in other local counties on Tuesday (previous day): Calhoun, 75 (54); Doddridge, 40 (40); Gilmer, 48 (46); Jackson, Pleasants, 53 (55); Ritchie, 79 (76); Roane, 130 (120); Tyler, 160 (160); Wetzel, 321, (313); Wirt, 28 (27); and Wood, 660 (666).

The hospitalization count included the numbers released on Monday during the governor’s pandemic briefing. The department reported 640 people are in a hospital with 203 in an intensive care unit and 93 on ventilators.

The rapid rise in hospitalizations has concerned state officials who fear COVID-19 patients, most of whom are not vaccinated, will overwhelm hospitals.

Seventy-two breakthrough deaths, among those who have been fully vaccinated, were reported on Tuesday, an increase of three since Monday.

Ten deaths from the virus were recorded in the 24-hour period since Monday morning. They include residents of Fayette, Upshur, Putnam, Randolph, Preston, Berkeley, Pocahontas and Logan counties. The youngest was a 57-year-old man from Logan County.

“COVID-19 continues to be a threat to West Virginia,” said DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch. “We must continue to support those grieving losses and renew our dedication to safety and prevention measures by being vaccinated against this terrible disease.”