Trending
Staff Report
CHARLESTON -- Another three people in West Virginia have died from the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Department of Health and Human Resources said on Tuesday.
The department in its Tuesday morning pandemic report confirmed the deaths of an 87-year-old woman from Wyoming County, a 76-year-old man from McDowell County and a 94-year-old woman from Kanawha County.
The deaths raise the toll since the pandemic began in West Virginia to 7,479 confirmed victims of the virus.
Condolences were again expressed by department Secretary Bill J. Crouch.
"Protecting the health, safety, and well-being of every West Virginian is our ultimate goal," Crouch said. "We must find the strength to support our friends and neighbors while continuing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through vaccination and boosters."
State health officials believe West Virginia has reached the peak in the number of cases in the latest surge of the omicron BA.1 mutation.
Active cases on Tuesday were at 876, a drop from the 915 reported on Monday, with 224 new positive cases received in the 24-hour period between Monday and Tuesday mornings.
Improving since last week, nine counties in the state including Ritchie and Calhoun are yellow on the County Alert System Map. Yellow is the second lowest to green.
All other counties in the state are green.
Active cases in local counties on Tuesday were (Monday): Calhoun, 4 (4); Doddridge, 2 (2); Gilmer, 2 (2); Jackson, 8 (9); Pleasants, 4 (2); Ritchie, 4 (4); Roane, 6 (5); Tyler, 2 (3); Wetzel, 2 (2); Wirt, 0 (0); Wood, 46 (47).
The state reported 162 people in the hospital, a drop of 14 since Monday, with 30 in an intensive care unit and 10 on a ventilator. Four pediatric cases were reported.