Trending
CHARLESTON -- The number of active COVID-19 cases in West Virginia remained above 3,000 Monday.
More than 2,200 new cases were reported since Friday's update from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, but with other cases moving off of active status, the total declined slightly from 3,358 to 3,159.
Two deaths were attributed to the virus, an 82-year-old Marion County man and a 92-year-old Berkeley County woman. That brings the state's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 7,123.
"As we face another day in this difficult time of COVID-19, we must renew our efforts to practice the prevention measures that can stop the spread of this deadly virus," DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "Please schedule your vaccine or booster shot today."
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID community levels are high for all Mid-Ohio Valley counties in West Virginia, as well as Washington County. Under that designation, the agency recommends people wear masks in indoor, public settings. The agency updates those levels each Thursday.
No blanket requirements have been issued locally. The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department has recommended people make the decision about masking with which they are comfortable.
Active cases in local counties Monday (Friday) were: Calhoun, 8 (8); Doddridge, 11 (9); Gilmer, 5 (11); Jackson, 36 (42); Pleasants, 5 (11); Ritchie, 11 (11); Roane, 22 (26); Tyler, 9 (7); Wetzel, 22 (24); Wirt, 8 (6); and Wood, 173 (162).
Three counties are now gold on West Virginia's County Alert System map: McDowell, Mercer and Webster. Gold is at the middle of the five-tiered alert system.
Forty-two counties are yellow, the second-lowest category, while 10, including Jackson and Pleasants, are on the lowest level, green.
The color system is based on the lower metric of new cases per 100,000 people over the previous seven days or percentage of tests coming back positive in that span.
The number of hospitalized individuals with COVID decreased over the weekend from 325 to 320. That number is now evenly split between individuals classified as vaccinated and unvaccinated. The vaccinated status means a person received the initial one or two doses of a vaccine but does not take into account recommended booster shots.
There were 44 COVID patients in intensive care units, with 24 considered vaccinated. Twelve patients were on ventilators, all but one of them vaccinated. The Friday numbers were 44 in ICU and 13 on ventilators.
Locally, a spokesman for WVU Medicine Camden Clark said the hospital had 15 patients with COVID, down from 23 on July 18.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Monday he had tested positive for the virus.
"I am fully vaccinated and boosted and am experiencing mild symptoms," he said in a news release. "I will isolate and follow CDC guidelines as I continue to work remotely to serve West Virginians."