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CHARLESTON -- A Wetzel County resident was among five people whose deaths were attributed to COVID-19 in the latest report from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
The death of the 74-year-old Wetzel County man was confirmed along with an 80-year-old man from Harrison County, a 70-year-old woman from Kanawha County, a 67-year-old man from Kanawha County and an 83-year-old man from Cabell County.
"Each loved one lost is forever remembered, and as a state we grieve with their families, friends and neighbors," DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "COVID vaccines and booster shots are readily available statewide, and I encourage all West Virginians to receive this life-saving vaccine."
While vaccinated individuals can still be infected with COVID-19, state officials emphasize it provides significant protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death.
Hospitalizations increased slightly from 319 on Friday to 324 Monday. More of those hospitalized with COVID, 178, were classified as vaccinated, meaning they had both initial Moderna or Pfizer doses or the single Johnson and Johnson shot. The designation does not take into account recommended booster doses.
Twenty-nine of the 48 patients in intensive care units Monday were unvaccinated. The total in ICUs Friday was 48.
Sixteen patients were on ventilators, up two from Friday. Ten were unvaccinated.
There were 11 pediatric COVID patients hospitalized, six in ICUs and one on a ventilator
West Virginia's active case total Monday morning was 3,335, lower than Friday's 3,531.
Active case numbers around the Mid-Ohio Valley on Monday (Friday) were: Calhoun, 8 (11); Doddridge, 8 (8); Gilmer, 10 (9); Jackson, 23 (31); Pleasants, 13 (16); Ritchie, 20 (19); Roane, 32 (32); Tyler, 10 (13); Wetzel, 13 (16); Wirt, 13 (7); and Wood, 191 (186).
On the County Alert System map, Monroe, Nicholas, Raleigh, Webster and Wyoming counties were gold, the middle of the five-tier scale that measures spread of the virus based on the number of new cases per 100,000 people in the preceding seven days or percentage of tests coming back positive in that period, whichever is lower.
Most counties were yellow, the second-lowest level, including all Mid-Ohio Valley counties except Jackson. It was one of nine counties in green, the lowest level.