CHARLESTON — Active coronavirus cases have exceeded 21,000 in West Virginia, the Department of Health and Human Resources reported on Monday.

The state reported 21,417 cases of the COVID-19 virus, about 4,600 cases higher than Friday’s pandemic update.

The state also reported 3,378 new cases received from Sunday to Monday. Sunday’s pandemic update said 5,256 new cases were received since Friday’s report.

The most active cases recorded in the state was on 29,744 on Sept. 16, based on cases considered active for 10 days rather than five days, of which the change was made on Jan. 6.

Active cases in local counties are: Wood 794; Wirt 75; Wetzel 187; Tyler 122; Roane 163; Ritchie 75; Pleasants 62; Jackson 149; Gilmer 88; Doddridge 88; Calhoun 73.

Ninety-four percent of cases are the omicron strain, Dr. Clay Marsh, coronavirus leader and adviser in West Virginia. The mutation is more infectious than the delta strain, which was more infectious than original virus.

Hospitalizations were at 976 on Monday, of which 646, or 66.2 percent, are unvaccinated. The state reported 223 patients in an intensive care unit, 179 of those, or 80.3 percent, are unvaccinated. Ventilated patients totaled 104, of which 96, or 92.3 percent, are unvaccinated.

Another 36 deaths have been reported since Friday, raising the death count to 5,645 since the pandemic began.

Locally, a 29-year-old man from Pleasants County is among the reported deaths. Also reported were an 83-year-old woman from Wetzel County, an 84-year-old woman from Wetzel County, an 87-year-old man from Jackson County, a 72-year-old woman from Wood County, a 55-year-old man from Wood County and a 71-year-old woman from Wood County,

Deaths also were reported in Ohio, Berkeley, Brooke, Cabell, Grant, Monongalia, Mineral, Lewis, Raleigh, Preston, Marion, Fayette and Marshall counties.

“We will remember each life lost to COVID-19 and our hearts will never be the same,” department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said.

Jackson County is the only county in the region on the County Alert System map not red, the highest level of alert based on infection rates. Jackson is orange, second highest.

Forty-nine counties are red in West Virginia.