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CHARLESTON -- Active cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus jumped up almost 370 in the 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday morning, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
The state in its Thursday morning pandemic update reported 6,484 active cases of the virus, up from 6,115 reported on Wednesday. Another 1,033 new cases of the virus have been received in the 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday mornings, according to the state.
Active cases in the latest surge of the virus, which state health officials say was fueled by the more infectious delta variant and unvaccinated residents, have been declining since the peak number of cases on Sept. 16 at 29,744.
Active cases on Thursday in Wood County were at 221, up 11 from Wednesday.
The number of active cases in local counties as of Thursday are: Calhoun 29; Doddridge, 9; Gilmer 8; Jackson 87; Pleasants 11; Ritchie 19; Roane 91; Tyler, 15; Wetzel 60; Wirt 9.
Another 18 deaths attributed to the virus were reported Thursday morning, which includes a 59-year-old man from Wetzel County and a 75-year-old man from Roane County.
Deaths also were reported in Kanawha, Raleigh, Berkeley, Nicholas, Monongalia, Marion, Taylor, Harrison, Webster, Randolph and Cabell counties. The youngest was a 33-year-old man from Marion County.
"With profound sadness, we share this tragic news of more lives lost to COVID-19," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "We join the families in mourning the passing of these West Virginians and urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated."
Wood, Wetzel and Roane counties are the only orange-level counties on the Alert System Map, representing the second highest level of infection below red. Jackson is the only red county in the region.
Tyler is yellow, second lowest, and Pleasants, Wirt, Ritchie, Doddridge and Gilmer are green, lowest alert level.
Across the state, 529 remain hospitalized with the virus, of which 384, or 72.6 percent, are unvaccinated. The state reported 183 patients are in an intensive care unit, with 154, or 84.2 percent, unvaccinated, and 91 people are on ventilators, 80 of which are unvaccinated, or 87.9 percent.
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center reported Thursday 32 COVID patients in the hospital, eight of those vaccinated, six patients, all unvaccinated, in intensive care, and seven patients on ventilators, of which one is vaccinated.
Vaccination information is available at vaccinate.wv.gov. Children 5 years and older can now receive the vaccine.