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Staff Report
PARKERSBURG -- Two people from the region including a 42-year-old woman are among the confirmed deaths from the COVID-19 coronavirus reported on Wednesday by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
The death count in West Virginia since the pandemic started in March 2020 was at 7,351 residents as of Wednesday, the department said.
The deaths were a 42-year-old woman from Ritchie County, a 97-year-old man from Gilmer County, a 92-year-old woman from Mingo County, an 85-year-old woman from Pocahontas County, a 79-year-old man from Monongalia County, a 64-year-old woman from Harrison County and a 90-year-old man from Marion County.
The confirmed death in Ritchie County raises the number of residents there who died from COVID-19 complications to 32. Twenty-two residents of Gilmer County have died from the virus, the department said.
Most deaths have been confirmed in Kanawha County, presently the largest county in the state, at 791, followed by Cabell with 405, Raleigh with 378, Wood with 359 and Berkeley with 320. The fewest have been in Calhoun County with 15, followed by Doddridge with 18, Gilmer and Pendleton with 22, Wirt with 25, Ritchie with 32 and Pocahontas with 33.
"The loss of additional lives is painful to report," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "Together, we can help prevent further deaths by choosing to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19."
Active cases were reported at 2,442 as of Wednesday with 765 new cases received since the last department update on Tuesday.
Current active cases in local counties on Wednesday (previous day) were: Calhoun 6 (6), Doddridge 3 (2), Gilmer 13 (11), Jackson 17 (13), Pleasants 4 (3), Ritchie 4 (3), Roane 33 (39), Tyler 16 (15), Wetzel 22 (26), Wirt 8 (4), and Wood 57 (66).
Twenty-two counties are green, the lowest level, on the County Alert System Map based on infection rates. The green counties in this region are Wood, Wetzel, Pleasants, Jackson, Ritchie and Doddridge. Counties in the yellow, No. 2 above green, are Tyler, Wirt, Roane, Calhoun and Gilmer.
Hospitalizations were at 299 people as of Wednesday with 53 in an intensive care unit and 13 on a ventilator. Ten pediatric cases with six in an ICU were reported.