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PARKERSBURG -- Active cases of the COVID-19 have exceeded 11,000, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said on Thursday.
Cases totaled 11,017, an increase of 1,539 cases from Wednesday when the state reported 9,478 active cases of the virus.
The last time active cases of the virus were in the 11,000 range was the first of October. While cases have been trending upward, the pandemic highmark for active cases was 29,744 on Sept. 16.
The number of active cases in Wood County increased by 35, from 281 to 316 on Thursday, in the 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday mornings. Active cases in Wood County topped 1,500 in September.
Cases in other local counties on Thursday (previous day) were: Wirt 25 (22); Wetzel 85 (65); Tyler 31 (24); Roane 53 (50); Ritchie 29 (31); Pleasants 26 (27); Jackson 103 (93); Gilmer 50 (42); Doddridge 22 (20); Calhoun 23 (28).
Also, the state reported 2,648 new cases of the virus were received between Wednesday and Thursday. The daily positivity rate was 13.77% while the cumulative was 6.48%.
Another 31 residents were added to the death toll from the virus, raising the number of those killed by the virus to 5,336 people in West Virginia.
The latest batch includes a 62-year-old man from Jackson County, according to the Thursday morning pandemic report from the state. Also confirmed were deaths in Putnam, Berkeley, Raleigh, Mercer, Lincoln, Mason, Summers, Mineral, Hampshire and Taylor counties.
The youngest was a 22-year-old man from Lincoln County.
Also included in the coronavirus dashboard from the department were the deaths of three residents from the Bureau for Public Health's data reconciliation with the official death certificates. Those deaths included an 82-year-old man from Wood County and an 82-year-old woman from Wirt County that occurred this month.
"We send our sincere condolences to these families for their profound loss," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said.
Red counties at the highest level on the County Alert System map include Wood, Wetzel and Jackson counties. Calhoun is green, the lowest level, and Pleasants in yellow, second lowest. Doddridge is gold, mid-level. Tyler, Ritchie, Wirt, Roane and Gilmer are orange, second highest.
Thirty counties are red in West Virginia.
Hospitalizations also inched upward from Wednesday, according to the state. The state reported 646 residents are in a hospital, of whom 500 are unvaccinated. Of the 197 patients in an intensive care unit, 165 are unvaccinated.
The state reported 108 people are on ventilators, 96 of those unvaccinated.
Free COVID-19 testing is available for school-age children and their families as they return to school from winter break from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lincoln Facility, 3010 Murdoch Ave., Parkersburg.