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Staff Report
CHARLETON -- Active COVID-19 cases have posted another increase over the last 24 hours while residents from Wood and Tyler counties are among the 21 additional virus deaths confirmed Tuesday by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
Active cases in West Virginia have been rising for the past several weeks from below 300 to 662 on Tuesday, another increase of 31 since Monday morning's pandemic update by the department. The number of cases hasn't been that low since the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
The state also reported 216 new cases were received in the 24-hour period from Monday to Tuesday.
State health officials have expected an increase in cases because the omicron variant BA2 is much more contagious than previous mutations of the virus, according to Dr. Clay Marsh, coronavirus adviser in West Virginia.
Active cases in Wood County were at 13 on Tuesday, up two since Monday's report. Cases were near 8,000 in July 2021 in Wood County, according to the state.
Cases in other counties in the region on Tuesday were (previous day): Calhoun 13 (14), Doddridge 2 (2), Gilmer 3 (2), Jackson 2 (1), Pleasants 0 (0), Ritchie 3 (3), Roane 1 (1), Tyler 0 (1), Wetzel 6 (6) and Wirt 4 (4).
Another 21 residents have been added to the total of virus deaths. Seventeen were added through the data reconciliation with death certificates by the Bureau of Public Health and occurred from January to April with four in August, September and November.
The total since the pandemic began was at 6,845 as of Tuesday.
Deaths included an 87-year-old woman from Tyler County confirmed between Monday and Tuesday and a 64-year-old woman from Wood County found in the reconciliation.
Deaths also were confirmed in, Kanawha, Jefferson, Randolph, Wayne, Cabell, Putnam, Harrison, Raleigh, McDowell, Logan, Pocahontas, Fayette, Tucker and Lewis counties.
The youngest were a 42-year-old woman from Putnam County, a 47-year-old man from Cabell County, a 56-year-old woman from Raleigh County and a 58-year-old woman from Jefferson County.
"We extend our deepest sympathies and urge all eligible residents to schedule a vaccine or booster to help prevent further loss of life," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said.
Thirteen inmate cases were reported in the Division of Corrections, nine of those in the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County. No staff infections were reported.
Wirt and Calhoun counties remain among the three yellow counties on the County Alert System map based on infection rates. Yellow is second lowest with green being the lowest.
Eighty-one patients are in a West Virginia hospital, 40 of those unvaccinated. Twenty-two, 11 unvaccinated, are in an intensive care unit with 12 patients, five unvaccinated, are on ventilators.
Four pediatric patients are in the hospital with one in an ICU and on a ventilator.