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CHARLESTON -- COVID-19 coronavirus cases slightly rose from Tuesday to Wednesday, but remained below 700 statewide, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported on Wednesday.
The state reported 689 active cases as of Wednesday morning, up from 665 on Tuesday. The state also reported 227 new positive cases were received between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Cases also slightly rose from Tuesday to Wednesday in the 11-county region surrounding Wood County. Seventy cases were in the region as of Wednesday, up 6 from 64 on Tuesday, according to the department statistics.
Cases rose almost by half in Wood County from Tuesday to Wednesday, from 19 to 28.
Active cases in local counties on Wednesday (previous report) were: Calhoun, 2 (2); Doddridge, 2 (3); Gilmer, 3 (3); Jackson, 5 (6); Pleasants, 6 (6); Ritchie, 6 (7); Roane, 5 (6); Tyler, 3 (2); Wetzel, 9 (9); Wirt, 1 (1); Wood, 28 (19).
Pleasants and Ritchie counties remain the only yellow counties in the region on the County Alert System Map that is based on infection rates. Yellow is second lowest to green.
Six counties in the state are yellow. The remainder are green.
For the second straight day, no deaths were reported in the 24-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday mornings. The death count remained at 7,557 since the pandemic began.
The state reported 146 patients are in a hospital with 24 in an intensive care unit and six on a ventilator. Four pediatric patients were reported.
Dr. Clay Marsh, coronavirus adviser for the state, during the governor's streamed COVID-19 press briefing Wednesday reiterated the importance of being up-to-date on COVID vaccinations and boosters and to get a flu shot.
The flu season is expected to be severe this year, particularly in the Southeast U.S., he said.
"We're starting to see some of that now," Marsh said. "The southeast part of the country has been enveloped in Influenza A, which is the type of flu that is going around that is combining with the current challenge we have with the (respiratory syncytial virus RSV)."
Also, the new form of the COVID mutations of the omicron strain, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have been increasing, he said. It appears that a characteristic of the new variants is sneezing, Marsh said.