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CHARLESTON -- Six Mid-Ohio Valley residents, three of them from Wood County, were listed among the deaths attributed to COVID-19 by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on Monday.
A total of 28 deaths were added to the statewide toll, with two -- both from Preston County -- removed as duplicates. That brings the total to 4,134 since the start of the pandemic.
Locally, the latest deaths include three men from Wood County, ages 56, 59 and 73. Deaths of a 53-year-old woman from Wetzel County, an 86-year-old man from Jackson County and a 79-year-old man from Wirt County were also confirmed.
"We mourn the loss of these West Virginians and send our deepest sympathies to their loved ones," said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR cabinet secretary. "Please schedule your COVID vaccine today, and remember to get your booster shot if you're eligible."
Active cases in local counties (Friday) were: Calhoun, 39 (37); Doddridge, 33 (64); Gilmer, 31 (32); Jackson, 171 (193); Pleasants, 28 (28); Ritchie, 56 (59); Roane, 77 (80); Tyler, 29 (35); Wetzel, 66 (80); Wirt, 46 (43); Wood 413 (457).
Although active cases in Wetzel County are trending downward, Hundred High School and Long Drain School were on remote learning Monday and today "due to COVID significantly impacting staff and student absences," according to the Wetzel County Schools Facebook page. Hundred was on remote learning the latter half of last week due to "staff shortages caused by COVID, quarantine and normal seasonal illness," a post from the district said.
There were few changes for the area on the state's County Alert System map, with Wood and Jackson counties remaining red, which indicates the highest level of spread of the virus, based on infections per 100,000 people over a one- or two-week period depending on population size or the percentage of positive tests, whichever is lower. Calhoun, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wetzel and Wirt counties stayed on orange, the second-highest level, and were joined by Pleasants County.
Pleasants had been on the middle level of gold, to which Doddridge County dropped from orange. Gilmer County stayed on yellow, the second-lowest level.