COVID-19 hospitalizations decrease, vaccinations pass milestone in WV

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have decreased by 70 overnight and more than 130,000 have received their first dose of the vaccine in the Mountain State. 

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources confirms 15 additional deaths in connection to the coronavirus, including the deaths of a 72-year-old male from Marshall County, a 73-year old-male from Wood County, a 75-year-old female from Berkeley County, a 70-year-old female from Wood County, a 96-year-old female from Ohio County, a 62-year-old male from Raleigh County, an 88-year-old female from Hardy County, a 73-year-old male from Upshur County, an 84-year-old male from Lewis County, a 79-year-old female from Fayette County, an 81-year-old male from Brooke County, a 95-year-old male from Hardy County, an 89-year-old female from Brooke County, a 92-year-old female from Monongalia County, and an 85-year-old male from Marshall County.

These deaths bring the death total to 1,776. 

West Virginia health experts also report 697 COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, with a current daily percent positivity rate of 5.07% and a cumulative rate of 5.48%.

108,821 total COVID-19 cases have been recorded in West Virginia. 26,858 of those cases remain active and 80,187 West Virginians have recovered from the virus.

WV DHHR officials say 718 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, and 178 of those patients are in the ICU. 89 patients are on ventilators.

More than 98% of the COVID-19 vaccine has been administered across West Virginia. 130,153 people have received their first dose of the vaccine and 23,066 people who have received their second dose of the vaccine.

Counties in the red continue to decrease in West Virginia. According to the County Alert System, 27 counties are in orange, including Lincoln and Monroe counties. 20 counties remain in red, including Nicholas, Boone, and Mingo counties. Seven counties are in gold, including Taylor County, which had moved from yellow last night. Only McDowell County remains in the yellow. 

Number of COVID-19 cases per county: Barbour (998), Berkeley (7,982), Boone (1,285), Braxton (686), Brooke (1,741), Cabell (6,410), Calhoun (188), Clay (299), Doddridge (363), Fayette (2,151), Gilmer (532), Grant (919), Greenbrier (2,037), Hampshire (1,228), Hancock (2,317), Hardy (1,083), Harrison (3,971), Jackson (1,467), Jefferson (2,981), Kanawha (10,239), Lewis (719), Lincoln (1021), Logan (2,111), Marion (2,843), Marshall (2,538), Mason (1,325), McDowell (1,135), Mercer (3,675), Mineral (2,313), Mingo (1,757), Monongalia (6,432), Monroe (796), Morgan (813), Nicholas (935), Ohio (3,037), Pendleton (459), Pleasants (710), Pocahontas (509), Preston (2,213), Putnam (3,496), Raleigh (3,611), Randolph (1,929), Ritchie (494), Roane (399), Summers (629), Taylor (891), Tucker (417), Tyler (488), Upshur (1,268), Wayne (2,100), Webster (219), Wetzel (881), Wirt (291), Wood (6,070), Wyoming (1,420).