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CHARLESTON -- Wood County on Friday jumped to yellow on the County Alert System Map, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said.
Wood has been green, the lowest level, since Sept. 22 on the map based on infection rates and percent positivity. Previously, the county was yellow.
Fifteen counties in the state were yellow on Friday, up four from Thursday. Wetzel and Pleasants counties in this region also were yellow.
All other counties in the state are green.
Active cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus are again above 1,000 in West Virginia, according to the statistics in Friday's pandemic update from the department.
Active cases on Friday rose by 110 to 1,046 between the 24-hour period between the Thursday and Friday reports, the department said. Active cases were 936 on Thursday.
The state also reported another 391 new positive cases were received since the Thursday report, the department said.
Active cases in the last month or so have been above and below 1,000. Health officials believe the state may have peaked in the latest omicron variant surge, but cases could rise as colder weather comes and people stay indoors more.
Active cases in local counties on Friday (previous report) were: Calhoun 1 (4); Doddridge 1 (1); Gilmer 5 (4); Jackson 12 (15); Pleasants 3 (5); Ritchie 5 (5); Roane 5 (4); Tyler 4 (5); Wetzel 16 (15); Wirt 2 (1); Wood 65 (57.)
Doddridge, Gilmer and Wetzel counties are rated low on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID Community Level assessment based on new cases per 100,000 people and hospitalizations in the previous week. Residents in counties ranked low are advised to keep current with vaccinations and boosters and to get tested if symptoms arise.
Wood, Wirt, Pleasants, Calhoun, Jackson, Ritchie and Roane are listed as medium. The CDC recommends residents with a risk of severe illness should consult with a health care provider about precautions that include wearing a mask.
No deaths were reported between Thursday and Friday. The death count was at 7,534 on Friday since the pandemic began more than 30 months ago.
The state reported 146 patients, down from 158 on Thursday, are in the hospital with 23 in an intensive care unit and five on ventilators. Four pediatric cases were reported.