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CHARLESTON -- Two more counties in West Virginia went from green to yellow Friday on the County Alert System Map while active cases of the COVID-19 cases hovered just above 2,000, according to the Department of Health and Human Resources.
Despite the additional counties in the yellow level of the map, second lowest based on infection rates, 47 counties including Wood County remain at the lowest level of green.
Two of the seven yellow counties in the state are from this region, Ritchie and Calhoun. The others are Braxton, Upshur, Nicholas, Mingo and Hardy counties.
Webster County is the only gold county, mid-level on the map. No counties are orange and red, the highest alert levels on the map.
State health officials hope the pandemic is on the decline and can soon be classified as an epidemic, although they caution that things can change depending on the virus. Vaccinations and booster shots are still recommended by the state.
Thirteen more people have died from the virus between Thursday and Friday, according to the state.
The death toll is at 6,440, more than 100 times the original projection of deaths in the state.
The confirmed deaths were in Mercer, Berkeley, Fayette, Marion, Logan, Cabell, Upshur and Preston counties.
"Each death reported is a solemn reminder of the seriousness of this disease," DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "Together, we can end transmission of this deadly virus by choosing to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19."
Active cases in West Virginia were at 2,088 on Friday, 39 more than on Thursday. The state also reported 578 new cases were received since the Thursday pandemic update.
The number of active cases in local counties are Calhoun 14, Doddridge 8, Gilmer 2, Jackson 25, Pleasants 10, Ritchie 14, Roane 12, Wetzel 18, Wirt 6 and Wood 83.
Hospitalizations were at 424, 20 less than Thursday, with 256 of the patients unvaccinated. The state reported 107 patients in an intensive care unit with 80 unvaccinated and 57 people on a ventilator, 46 of those unvaccinated.
Ten pediatric patients were reported with one in an ICU.