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CHARLESTON -- Another slight drop in COVID-19 cases in West Virginia was reported Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Resources.
The state reported 2,117 active COVID-19 cases statewide, 29 less than the 2,146 reported in Wednesday's pandemic update. The state also said 696 new cases were received between the Wednesday and Thursday reports.
State officials last month said the nationwide surge in cases has reached West Virginia. The most cases in the previous delta mutation surge was over 21,700 in January.
Cases were below 300 around the first of April.
Current active cases in local counties (previous day) are: Calhoun 10 (9), Doddridge 3 (2), Gilmer 2 (1), Jackson 12 (12), Pleasants 4 (2), Ritchie 8 (7), Roane 25 (17), Tyler 4 (4), Wetzel 24 (21), Wirt 4 (4), Wood 56 (51).
Twenty-three counties are yellow on the County Alert System Map. Yellow is second lowest to green.
Wetzel is the only yellow county in the region. All others are green.
Hospitalizations also increased by 13, from 165 on Wednesday to 178 on Thursday. Eighty-seven are unvaccinated.
Twenty-four patients are in an intensive care unit, 14 unvaccinated, and 11 are on a ventilator, three unvaccinated.
Seven pediatric patients were reported with one in an ICU and one on a ventilator.
Nine more deaths from the virus were confirmed on Thursday, raising the count to 6,971 deaths attributed to COVID-19. Six of the deaths were from the data reconciliation with death certificates that occurred from January to May 2022 with three deaths occurring in September and December.
The state has confirmed the deaths of an 89-year-old woman from Greenbrier County, a 77-year-old man from Greenbrier County and a 67-year-old man from Jefferson County. Reconciled deaths were a 67-year-old woman from Putnam County, an 81-year-old man from Ohio County, a 27-year-old world from Wayne County, a 72-year-old man from Monongalia County, a 100-year-old woman from Mineral County and a 15-year-old girl from Raleigh County.
The 15 year-old girl is the second juvenile to die from the virus, Gov. Jim Justice said at Thursday's pandemic briefing. The first was a 17-year-old in December 2020 from Kanawha County.
"We offer our deepest condolences as our state grieves more losses due to COVID-19," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "Scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot are the most powerful ways to prevent further loss of life due to this devastating disease."
Sixty-seven inmates and 17 staff are infected in the prison system. Twenty-eight cases are at the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County.