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CHARLESTON -- Active cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in West Virginia dropped to 11,491 Wednesday, according to the Department of Health and Human Resources.
Wednesday's total was more than 1,350 less from Tuesday when the cases were at 12,843.
Active cases have been dropping in West Virginia since around the end of January.
The highest number of active cases in the latest surge was 21,717 on Jan. 22, which is based on a five-day active guideline from the Centers for Disease Control. The most active cases under the previous 10-day guideline were 29,744 on Sept. 16.
Most counties in the region again posted lower active case numbers on Wednesday from Tuesday.
The active cases reported nearly doubled in Calhoun, but increased by only two in Jackson and Ritchie counties. Calhoun County was the only county in the region to be designated red, the highest level of infection rates, on the County Alert System map.
Local active cases Wednesday (Tuesday) were: Calhoun, 70 (37): Doddridge, 44 (58); Gilmer, 30 (36); Jackson, 51 (49); Pleasants, 23 (34); Ritchie, 61 (59); Roane, 59 (72); Tyler, 35 (44); Wetzel, 91 (110); Wirt, 28 (33); Wood, 405 (471.)
While state health officials believe active cases may have reached a plateau, they believe hospitalizations and deaths will continue for several more weeks.
Hospitalizations were 1,097 on Wednesday, three less than Tuesday, with the number of unvaccinated at 746, or 68 percent. The state reported 235 people, 184 of those unvaccinated, are in an intensive care unit and 124 patients are on a ventilator, 104 unvaccinated.
Twenty pediatric patients were reported, six more than Tuesday. Three pediatric patients are in an ICU and one is on a ventilator.
WVU Medicine Camden Clark on Wednesday reported 66 COVID patients, 24 vaccinated, with nine in ICU, two vaccinated, and seven on ventilators, one vaccinated.
The death toll is closing in on 6,000 people in West Virginia. Another 36 residents were confirmed fatalities from the COVID-19 virus between Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
The youngest of those succumbing to the virus were a 34-year-old man from Berkeley County and a 36-year-old man from Kanawha County.
However, most of the deaths are again residents in the 60s and above, according to Gov. Jim Justice. Justice said he believed it is because people have not gotten booster shots.
"Deaths are going up again with our elderly people," he said.
Data is clear as to the effectiveness of the booster, Dr. Clay Marsh, state coronavirus leader and adviser, said.
"The evidence for the importance of booster shots in our eldest members of our state's population, the country's population, is really incontrovertible at this point," he said.
Total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 since the pandemic record keeping started two years ago was 5,814 as of Wednesday in West Virginia.
The department Wednesday also confirmed the deaths of residents in Greenbrier, Marion, Cabell, Summers, Mineral, Brooke, Harrison, Raleigh, Lewis, Mercer, McDowell, Mason, Logan and Preston counties.
"As we face another day in this difficult time of COVID-19, we must renew our efforts to practice the prevention measures that can stop the spread of this deadly virus," department Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "Please schedule your vaccine or booster shot."
Jackson County is green on the County Alert System map, the lowest level of infection rates. Wetzel, Doddridge, Ritchie, Wirt and Wood are orange, second highest. Tyler is gold, mid level. Roane, Pleasants and Gilmer are yellow, second lowest.
Includig Calhoun, 14 counties are red on the map. Three counties are green, Jackson, Hancock and Tucker.
The state reported 876 active inmate cases and 234 staff cases in correctional institutions on Wednesday. Active inmate cases were 153 at the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County, up from 120 on Tuesday.