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CHARLESTON -- Another nine deaths have been attributed to the COVID-19 coronavirus in West Virginia between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Resources reported Wednesday morning.
The count was 7,286 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began in 2020 in West Virginia.
Wednesday's announcement included the death of a 38-year-old man from Kanawha County, the state said. Other deaths confirmed were a 70-year-old man from Kanawha County, an 83-year-old man from Kanawha County, a 63-year-old woman from Harrison County, a 67-year-old woman from Kanawha County, an 87-year-old man from Preston County, a 61-year-old woman from Kanawha County, an 89-year-old man from Cabell County and an 83-year-old man from Summers County.
"Today is another hard day as West Virginians cope with the loss of loved ones," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said.
Of the 55 counties, most of the deaths are in Kanawha County with 784, followed by Cabell County with 402. Kanawha County is the most populous county in West Virginia.
Wood County is fourth in the death count with 358. Raleigh County is third with 373 and Berkeley County, the fastest growing county in West Virginia, is fifth with 320 deaths of residents.
"These are not numbers. They are mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers, and sisters, and we remember them today and always," Crouch said.
Active cases statewide were 2,980 as of Wednesday, down from Tuesday's 3,077. Cases have been fluctuating.
The state also reported 1,028 new cases of the virus have been received since the last update on Tuesday morning.
Current active cases in local counties (previous day) on Wednesday were: Calhoun 11 (9), Doddridge 10 (5), Gilmer 9 (7), Jackson 28 (31), Pleasants 11 (9), Ritchie 11 (14), Roane 28 (25), Tyler 17 (11), Wetzel 46 (34), Wirt 5 (4), and Wood 131 (145).
Hardy County has emerged as the only orange-level county on the County Alert System Map based on infections and spread. Orange is second highest to red.
Four counties are gold, mid-level, including Wetzel County in this region. Fifteen counties are green, the lowest level on the map, and include Tyler, Pleasants, Wirt and Jackson counties.
All other counties in the state are yellow, second lowest.
The classification is based on the lower of two statistics, percent positivity and infection rate, with a range of levels determining the green to red status.
Most counties in the region had numbers for a higher level: Calhoun, orange for percent positivity; Doddridge, Hilmer, Ritchie and Roane, gold for percent positivity; Wirt, Jackson, Pleasants and Tyler, yellow for infection rate; Wetzel, red for positivity rate.
Wood County's numbers for percent positivity and infection rate were both in the yellow zone.
Hospitalizations dropped by 10 between Tuesday and Wednesday and were at 314 statewide on Wednesday. Forty-two people were in an intensive care unit and 12 were on a ventilator.
Eight pediatric cases were reported with four in an ICU.
Forty-five staff and 134 inmates are infected, the Division of Corrections said. Two cases are at North Central Regional Jail, two are at the St. Marys Correctional Center and two are at Parkersburg Community Corrections.