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CHARLESTON -- Two residents in their mid-40s are among the 10 confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported on Friday by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
The department has confirmed the deaths of a 46-year-old man from Logan County and a 46-year-old woman from Clay County. At least five people in their 40s in the last several weeks have died from the virus, according to the department.
The 10 additional deaths confirmed since the last pandemic update on Thursday raise the total number of dead to 7,416 people in West Virginia.
Also confirmed were the deaths of a 77-year-old woman from Greenbrier County, an 80-year-old man from Harrison County, a 78-year-old man from Logan County, an 81-year-old man from Lincoln County, an 87-year-old woman from Mason County, an 80-year-old woman from Upshur County, a 97-year-old woman from Cabell County and a 79-year-old woman from Harrison County.
"I urge each of you to make the choice to be up-to-date with COVID vaccines and boosters to help stop further loss of life," DHHR Secretary Bill J. Crouch said. "Please remember these West Virginians and their contributions to our state."
Wood County remains in the top five counties with the most virus deaths with 360. The death counts are 799 in Kanawha, 410 in Cabell, 381 in Raleigh and 322 in Berkeley.
Statewide active cases were 1,233 as of Friday, an increase of 87 from Thursday, the department said. The state received 385 new cases between the Thursday and Friday morning pandemic reports.
Active cases in local counties on Friday (Thursday) were: Calhoun, 4 (4); Doddridge, 2 (3); Gilmer, 1 (2); Jackson, 9 (10); Pleasants, 5 (9); Ritchie, 3 (2); Roane, 5 (7); Tyler, 8 (7); Wetzel, 10 (12); Wirt, 0 (0); and Wood, 54 (54).
While no counties were gold, orange or red, the highest levels of infection, on the County Alert System Map, 15 counties were yellow, second lowest on the chart. The remaining counties were green, lowest level.
The only yellow county in this region is Tyler, although the county falls in the orange level on the percent positivity metric. Classification on the map is based on the lower of either infection rate or percent positivity.
Wood, Doddridge, Wetzel, Ritchie, Pleasants and Calhoun counties also have a metric in the yellow zone.
Pleasants was the only area county where the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended people wear masks in indoor public settings. It was classified as "high" on the CDC's Community Levels, which are updated weekly based on the number of new cases per 100,000 people and hospitalization statistics for the previous seven days.
Pleasants County had been on "medium" last week, in which the CDC advises people at greater risk for severe illness to consult with their health care provider about whether to mask or take other precautions.
Calhoun, Jackson, Roane and Wirt counties moved from high to medium this week. Doddridge, Gilmer, Ritchie and Wood County remained on medium, while Tyler County moved from medium to "low." It joined Wetzel County, which was also low last week.
In counties classified as low, the CDC recommends people stay up to date with vaccines and boosters and get tested if they have symptoms.
Hospitalizations dropped to 212 on Friday from 220 on Thursday, according to DHHR data. Forty-three patients were in intensive care units and 12 were on a ventilator. One pediatric hospitalization on a ventilator was reported.