Trending
CHARLESTON -- After two days with no deaths attributed to COVID-19, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported 21 deaths Friday, including two Mid-Ohio Valley residents.
The agency confirmed the deaths of a 55-year-old Roane County woman and an 85-year-old Wetzel County man, in addition to 19 others people ranging in age from a 43-year-old woman from Mason County to a 93-year-old woman from Marshall County.
"We join with the families in mourning the passing of these great West Virginians," DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "We must continue to work together to prevent further loss of loved ones by getting vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19."
There have been 7,322 deaths attributed to the virus since the start of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020.
Active cases rose above 3,000 again for the first time in a week. With 1,099 new cases reported since the Thursday update, Friday's total was 3,058.
Active case totals in local counties Friday (Thursday) were: Calhoun,7 (7); Doddridge, 11 (12); Gilmer, 15 (15); Jackson, 25 (25); Pleasants, 12 (14); Ritchie, 10 (13); Roane, 55 (52); Tyler, 10 (11); Wetzel, 48 (44); Wirt, 1 (5); Wood, 93 (101).
Nine counties were gold on the County Alert System map, which measures spread of the virus on the basis of new cases per 100,000 people or percentage of tests coming back positive in the previous seven days, whichever is lower. Gold is the middle of the five-color scale.
Roane and Wetzel counties remained gold Friday, while Wood, Doddridge, Gilmer, Pleasants, Ritchie and Tyler counties were yellow, the second lowest, along with 30 other counties. Ten counties were on the lowest level, green, including Calhoun, Jackson and Wirt.
The numbers of overall hospitalizations with COVID and COVID-positive patients in intensive care units continued to move in opposite directions. There were 305 patients in hospitals, down from 317 Thursday, while the number in ICUs rose to 57 from 50. There were 12 patients on ventilators, one more than on Thursday.
The DHHR reported eight pediatric hospitalizations, with two in ICU and one on a ventilator.
Updated boosters that target omicron variants have arrived in West Virginia and are available to people age 12 and older who have had the initial vaccination series and are at least two months removed from their most recent shot. James Hoyer, head of West Virginia's interagency task force on vaccines, said during Gov. Jim Justice's online briefing Friday that there may be some inconsistencies in deliveries of the new vaccinations but the best way to find where to receive one is visiting vaccinate.wv.gov or calling 1-833-734-0965.