Active COVID-19 cases again drop in W.Va.
Unvaccinated vast majority of hospitalized, deaths
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Staff Report
CHARLESTON -- Active COVID-19 cases dropped another 4,000 from Monday to Tuesday in West Virginia, according to the state Department and Health and Human Resources.
The decline has been more than 12,300 cases since Friday.
The state reported 17,435 active cases in Tuesday morning's pandemic update, down from 21,490 in Monday's report and down from the all-time pandemic high of 29,744 on Friday. The previous high was 29,257 in January during the last surge.
Another 1,337 new cases were received in the period between Monday and Tuesday mornings. The daily positivity rate is 10.99 percent and the cumulative is 5.7 percent.
State health officials have said West Virginia may have reached or is near the peak of cases in the latest COVID-19 surge, fueled by the unvaccinated and the more-contagious delta variant.
Deaths and hospitalizations aren't expected to see a similar decline for possibly four to six weeks, according to James Hoyer and Dr. Clay Marsh, director of the interagency task force on vaccines and coronavirus czar in West Virginia, respectively.
The state reported 955 people were in the hospital, 792 unvaccinated, on Tuesday with 292 patients in an intensive care unit, 255 of those are unvaccinated, and 164 on ventilators, of those 149 are unvaccinated.
Seventeen deaths were confirmed in the 24-hour period between Monday and Tuesday mornings, including a 61-year-old woman from Roane County and 84-year-old man from Wood County.
COVID-related deaths also have been confirmed in Hancock, Logan, Marion, Brooke, Monroe, Raleigh, Harrison, Kanawha and Logan counties. The youngest was a 52-year-old woman from Logan County.
"With a heavy heart, we extend our sympathies to these families for their loss," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "As West Virginians, we must not tire of preventive measures that ensure the health and safety of our friends, family and neighbors."
Of the 2,331 deaths since the start of vaccination, 5.43 percent were residents who were fully vaccinated. The remainder are the unvaccinated.
Some improvement has been recorded in the County Alert System map where as of Tuesday there was one green county, the lowest level, Pocahontas, and three mid-level gold counties, Calhoun, Gilmer and Tucker counties. Calhoun and Gilmer were orange on Monday, second highest in severity.
Thirteen counties were orange including Pleasants and Doddridge.
Wood, Wirt, Ritchie, Wetzel, Tyler and Jackson remain red, the highest level in terms of disease spread, and are among the 38 red counties.
Wood County posted another significant drop in the number of active cases in Tuesday's report, 817, down from 1,052 on Monday and 1,510 in Friday's update. Active cases in other counties in the region on Tuesday were (previous report): Calhoun, 76 (144): Doddridge, 70 (108); Gilmer, 41 (49); Jackson, 259 (323); Pleasants, 90 (108); Ritchie, 152 (201): Roane 107 (153); Tyler, 111 (146); Wetzel, 193 (261); Wirt, 62 (73).
The sharp decreases are due in part to people who tested positive around the same time coming out of quarantine, said Carrie Brainard, threat preparedness coordinator for the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department. But the declines do not mean the danger has passed.
"I would not think that it's saying that it's over with," Brainard said.
Large gatherings such as football games or parades, although outdoors, can still create opportunities for the virus to spread, so people should wear masks and get vaccinated if they are eligible, she said.
"That's always an opportunity for it to spike again," Brainard said. "When people are standing side by side without a mask on, they are increasing their chances of getting COVID."
Wood County Schools reported 109 active confirmed positive cases on Monday: Blennerhassett Elementary, 4; Criss Elementary, 4; Emerson Elementary, 4; Fairplains Elementary, 2; Franklin Elementary, 1; Gihon Elementary, 1; Greenmont Elementary, 6; Jefferson Elementary, 9; Kanawha Elementary, 3; Lubeck Elementary, 3; Madison Elementary, 2; Martin Elementary, 3; Mineral Wells Elementary, 2; Neale Elementary, 3; Vienna Elementary, 1; Williamstown Elementary, 2; Blennerhassett Middle, 3; Edison Middle, 1; Hamilton Middle, 4; Jackson Middle, 4; Van Devender Middle, 8; Parkersburg High, 17; Parkersburg South High, 17; Williamstown High, 5; WCTC/Caperton Center, 0; Central Office, 0; Transportation Department, 1; Maintenance Department, 0; Child Nutrition, 0.