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CHARLESTON -- Coronavirus patients again exceed 600 in state hospitals where nearly 80 percent are unvaccinated, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
Of the 602 people in the hospital, 481, or 79.9 percent, are unvaccinated. The state reported 208 cases in an intensive care unit, of which 173, or 83.2 percent, are unvaccinated. More than 85 percent of patients on a ventilator, 108 of the 126, are unvaccinated.
Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients have not been this high since the end of October. The high mark was 1,012 on Sept. 24.
The cases are primarily the delta variant.
No cases of the omicron mutant strain had been detected in West Virginia as of Thursday, Dr. Ayne Amjad, state health officer, said during Thursday's online COVID-19 briefing.
Omicron may be more infectious than delta, but is believed to result in less severe health issues.
Active cases of the virus were at 8,857 as of Thursday, up from 8,452 on Wednesday. The state reported 1,182 new cases received in the 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday morning.
In Wood County, 371 active cases have been reported. In other local counties: Wirt, 28; Wetzel, 98; Tyler, 29; Roane, 76; Ritchie, 41; Pleasants, 40; Jackson, 78; Gilmer, 16; Doddridge, 15; Calhoun, 38.
The deaths of another 19 West Virginia residents have been attributed to the virus as of Thursday, raising the death toll to 5,055.
They include three men -- ages 52, 82 and 87 -- from Wood County and a 66-year-old Jackson County woman.
"Let's don't let these great people, these great West Virginians, just go down as a number," Gov. Jim Justice said during the briefing.
Wood, Wetzel, Pleasants, Wirt, Ritchie, Jackson and Roane are red on the County Alert System map. Red is the highest level based on the lower of new cases per 100,000 people in a one- or two-week period and percent positivity.
Tyler and Calhoun are orange, second highest. Doddridge is green lowest level, and Gilmer is gold, mid level.