COVID-19 cases still rising in West Virginia | News, Sports, Jobs

CHARLESTON — Coronavirus sufferers once more exceed 600 in state hospitals the place almost 80 p.c are unvaccinated, in response to the West Virginia Division of Well being and Human Sources.

Of the 602 folks within the hospital, 481, or 79.9 p.c, are unvaccinated. The state reported 208 instances in an intensive care unit, of which 173, or 83.2 p.c, are unvaccinated. Greater than 85 p.c of sufferers on a ventilator, 108 of the 126, are unvaccinated.

Hospital admissions of coronavirus sufferers haven’t been this excessive because the finish of October. The excessive mark was 1,012 on Sept. 24.

The instances are primarily the delta variant.

No instances of the omicron mutant pressure had been detected in West Virginia as of Thursday, Dr. Ayne Amjad, state well being officer, mentioned throughout Thursday’s on-line COVID-19 briefing.

Omicron could also be extra infectious than delta, however is believed to lead to much less extreme well being points.

Lively instances of the virus have been at 8,857 as of Thursday, up from 8,452 on Wednesday. The state reported 1,182 new instances obtained within the 24-hour interval from Wednesday to Thursday morning.

In Wooden County, 371 energetic instances have been reported. In different native counties: Wirt, 28; Wetzel, 98; Tyler, 29; Roane, 76; Ritchie, 41; Pleasants, 40; Jackson, 78; Gilmer, 16; Doddridge, 15; Calhoun, 38.

The deaths of one other 19 West Virginia residents have been attributed to the virus as of Thursday, elevating the dying toll to five,055.

They embrace three males — ages 52, 82 and 87 — from Wooden County and a 66-year-old Jackson County girl.

“Let’s don’t let these nice folks, these nice West Virginians, simply go down as a quantity,” Gov. Jim Justice mentioned throughout the briefing.

Wooden, Wetzel, Pleasants, Wirt, Ritchie, Jackson and Roane are purple on the County Alert System map. Crimson is the very best degree primarily based on the decrease of latest instances per 100,000 folks in a one- or two-week interval and p.c positivity.

Tyler and Calhoun are orange, second highest. Doddridge is inexperienced lowest degree, and Gilmer is gold, mid degree.