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PARKERSBURG -- Active cases of the COVID-19 virus increased by nearly 2,200 from Thursday to Friday morning, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said.
The state reported 13,980 active COVID-19 cases statewide, an increase of 2,187 cases from the 11,793 reported by the department on Thursday morning.
Active case statistics changed on Thursday when the state started using new isolation guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that reflect an active status length of five days instead of 10. Under the previous 10-day guideline, active cases peaked at 29,744 on Sept. 16.
Active cases in Wood County increased more than 21%, from 490 on Thursday to 596 on Friday.
Other county totals (previous day) were: Wirt, 18 (17); Wetzel, 89 (81); Tyler, 28 (22); Roane, 69 (56); Ritchie, 39 (39); Pleasants, 47 (36); Jackson, 141 (109); Gilmer, 18 (15); Doddridge, 10 (11); Calhoun, 24 (18.)
The state reported 4,134 new cases of the virus had been received since the Thursday report. More than 4,900 cases were reported on Thursday in the 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday.
The daily positivity rate for tests is 18.07%.
Twenty-nine additional deaths because of the virus have been confirmed, raising the total since the pandemic began to 5,421.
The latest deaths include a 43-year-old woman from Ritchie County, a 68-year-old man from Gilmer County and an 84-year-old man from Wirt County.
"With a heavy heart, we share this solemn news of more lives lost to this pandemic," DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "We extend our sympathies to the families affected and encourage you to honor them by getting vaccinated."
Thirty-three of West Virginia's 55 counties are red, the highest level of infection, on the County Alert System map. Wood and Jackson counties remain the only red counties in the region. Wetzel, Pleasants, Ritchie and Roane are orange, second highest.
Tyler and Wirt are gold, mid-level. Calhoun and Gilmer are yellow, second lowest. Doddridge is green, lowest.
COVID-19 hospitalizations slightly increased statewide, from 758 on Thursday to 762 on Friday. The bulk of the patients, 595, are unvaccinated.
Patients in an intensive care unit totaled 199, with 167 unvaccinated. Ventilated patients totaled 116, 106 of them unvaccinated.
The peak on hospitalizations came four months ago, 1,012 on Sept. 16.
WVU Medicine Camden Clark on Friday reported 45 COVID patients are in the hospital, 32 unvaccinated. Seven patients, six unvaccinated, are in the ICU, and four patients, three unvaccinated, are on a ventilator.
Of the 4,321 deaths occurring since vaccinations commenced in December 2020, 10.53% are breakthrough cases, people who infected after being vaccinated.