Active COVID-19 cases in West Virginia break 700

Six incidents of omicron subvariant found in state

CHARLESTON -- Active COVID-19 cases in West Virginia rose above 700, according to Wednesday's numbers from the state Department of Health and Human Resources.

While some of the 662 cases Tuesday dropped off the active list, they were outpaced by 253 new cases, according to the state's online COVID dashboard.

Hospitalizations rose from 81 Tuesday to 91 Wednesday, with 53 of those patients unvaccinated. Intensive care patients rose by one to 23 (12 unvaccinated) while the number on ventilators stayed at 12 (five unvaccinated). There were four pediatric hospitalizations, one in ICU and one on a ventilator.

Although cases are lower than they were just a couple of months ago, numbers are rising in West Virginia and around the country. The Associated Press reports a new mutation of the omicron variant, dubbed BA.2.12.1, caused 29% of new U.S. infections last week.

Six cases of the new mutation have been detected across three counties in West Virginia, according to Allison Adler, director of communications for the DHHR. The counties where the subvariant was detected were not immediately available.

Based on modeling projections, it's estimated the subvariant accounts for 31.9 percent of all cases in the region that includes West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Active case totals in area counties Wednesday (Tuesday) are: Calhoun, 16 (13); Doddridge, 2 (2); Gilmer, 3 (3); Jackson, 1 (2); Pleasants, 0 (0); Ritchie, 3 (3); Roane, 2 (1); Tyler, 0 (0); Wetzel, 10 (6); Wirt, 5 (4); Wood, 13 (13).

Wednesday's update included six deaths attributed to the virus, raising the state's total to 6,851 since the start of the pandemic in spring 2020. They ranged in age from a 70-year-old Fayette County woman to a 90-year-old Preston County man and included an 81-year-old man from Jackson County.

"These deaths have caused holes in our hearts and communities," said DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch. "I urge all West Virginians to receive their COVID-19 vaccine or booster today."

Calhoun and Wirt counties were still yellow on the County Alert System map, the second lowest level on the scale measuring the virus' spread. Monroe County in the southern part of the state is the only other yellow county; the other 52 are green, the lowest level.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.