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CHARLESTON -- Only three counties in the state were not green Wednesday, according to Wednesday's County Alert System map released by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
But as active cases and hospitalization statistics continued to decline, another 18 deaths were attributed to the virus, among them an 86-year-old man from Wood County.
The youngest fatality was a 51-year-old woman from Monroe County, while the oldest was a 90-year-old man from Webster County.
"As many West Virginians have grown tired of COVID-19, we must stay vigilant in our efforts to prevent further spread in our communities," said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR cabinet secretary. "Our condolences are extended to these families during their time of grief."
Active cases decreased from 1,582 to 1,436 Wednesday, according to DHHR statistics.
Active case totals in area counties on Wednesday (Tuesday) were: Calhoun, 10 (9); Doddridge, 1 (1); Gilmer, 2 (2); Jackson, 12 (15); Pleasants, 3 (5); Ritchie, 7 (10); Roane, 5 (5); Tyler, 14 (13); Wetzel, 9 (13); Wirt, 6 (6); Wood, 44 (54).
Tyler County was one of just two on the County Alert System map labeled yellow, the second-lowest level of spread of the virus, based on the lower of the number of infections per 100,000 people in a given period or percentage of people testing positive. Clay County was the other yellow county, while Webster County was gold, the middle of the scale.
The other 52 counties were green, the lowest level.
Hospitalizations with COVID-19 stood at 368 Wednesday, with less than 100 (98) in intensive care units and 50 people on ventilators. Unvaccinated individuals accounted for 58.7 percent of all COVID patients, 67.3 percent of those in ICU and 66 percent of those on ventilators.
There were four pediatric hospitalizations statewide, two in ICU and one on a ventilator.
Despite the improving statistics, most of West Virginia remains in the high risk category on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 Community Level metric, which is updated weekly on Thursdays. While the new statistic indicates approximately 86 percent of counties are in the low or medium risk category, meaning individuals who do not have other health problems or are not immunocompromised are not advised to wear masks, it's still recommended that residents in areas classified as high mask up in indoor public spaces.
Those risk levels are based on three factors over a seven-day period: the number of new COVID cases in an area, the share of hospital beds being used and hospital admissions.