Trending
CHARLESTON -- Eighteen cases of the omicron variant have now been detected in West Virginia, according to the latest statistics Department of Health and Human Resources.
None are in this region and half of the cases, nine, were found in Berkeley County in the Eastern Panhandle, according to the department.
The omicron mutation of the original COVID-19 virus is considered more contagious than the delta, which also is more contagious than the original.
Omicron has been found in six counties, Berkeley, Fayette, Harrison, Kanawha, Marion and Monongalia counties. With nine cases in Berkeley, five are in Monongalia and one each in the other counties.
While the omicron surge has yet to reach West Virginia, omicron cases will greatly increase in West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said in an ominous warning to residents.
"It will surely skyrocket before this is over," Justice said.
Another warning is there has been an increase in the number of young children hospitalized with the omicron mutation around the nation, about 35 percent, Dr. Clay Marsh, coronavirus leader in West Virginia, said.
"In some places like Washington, D.C., about half of the children going into a hospital actually are testing positive for the omicron variant," he said.
Deaths from the virus since the pandemic began were at 5,305 residents in West Virginia, 4,206 occurring after vaccinations started. Of the 4,206 deaths, only 436 were of vaccinated residents, called breakthrough cases.
Eighteen more residents died in the 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Deaths were confirmed in Marshall, Hampshire, Kanawha, Monongalia, Harrison, Greenbrier, Raleigh, Barbour, Hardy, Harrison, Fayette, Cabell, Tucker, Monongalia and Clay counties.
"This is an incredibly difficult time for the families and friends of these West Virginians, especially during the holiday season. We offer our sympathies to each and every person connected to these individuals," said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. "Please honor these families by protecting yourself and others with the COVID-19 vaccine."
The department also adjusted the count over a 43-year-old woman in Marion County that was previously reported. The report was a duplicate, reducing the count by one.
Active cases also increased by 874 from Tuesday to Wednesday morning, from 8,604 to 9,478. Active cases have been trending upward with the pandemic high set at 29,744 on Sept. 16.
Locally, 281 active cases were reported in Wood County where the pandemic high was more than 1,500 in mid-September. Twenty-two cases were reported in Wirt County, 65 in Wetzel, 24 in Tyler, 50 in Roane, 31 in Ritchie, 27 in Pleasants, 93 in Jackson, 42 in Gilmer, 20 in Doddridge and 28 in Calhoun.
Wood and Jackson counties remain the only red counties in the region on the County Alert System Map. Red is the highest level based on infection rates.
Twenty-six counties are red in West Virginia.
Wirt, Tyler, Wetzel, Ritchie and Roane counties are orange, second highest. Pleasants and Doddridge are yellow, second lowest. Gilmer is green, lowest level of alert.
Three counties are green.
Hospitalizations were at 634 on Wednesday, of which 509 patients are unvaccinated. Of the 190 patients in an intensive care unit, 162 are unvaccinated. Of the 105 on ventilators, 93 are unvaccinated.