COVID-19 W.Va. | 28 deaths, 1,053 new cases

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of December 28, 2021, there are currently 8,604 active COVID-19 cases statewide.

There have been 28 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 5,288 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 63-year old male from Cabell County, a 73-year old female from Wayne County, a 53-year old male from Harrison County, an 85-year old male from Raleigh County, a 77-year old female from Raleigh County, a 52-year old male from Cabell County, a 71-year old male from Fayette County, a 62-year old male from Webster County, a 75-year old female from Berkeley County, a 61-year old male from Cabell County, and a 78-year old male from Ohio County.

Included in the total deaths reported on the dashboard as a result of the Bureau for Public Health’s continuing data reconciliation with the official death certificate are a 38-year old male from Kanawha County, an 80-year old male from Mineral County, a 68-year old male from Wetzel County, an 86-year old female from Monroe County, a 42-year old male from Logan County, a 70-year old male from Wood County, a 70-year old male from Braxton County, a 55-year old female from Mingo County, a 64-year old male from Lewis County, an 82-year old male from Greenbrier County, a 73-year old male from Mason County, a 75-year old male from Lincoln County, a 96-year old male from Mercer County, a 78-year old male from Randolph County, a 60-year old female from Fayette County, a 50-year old female from Fayette County, and a 54-year old male from Marion County. These deaths range from October through December 2021.

According to the WV DHHR, 11,455 cases of the COVID-19 variant, Delta, have been reported. 18 cases of the COVID-19 variant, Omicron, have been recorded in the state.

“These numbers aren’t big yet, but it’s a big increase in just a few days,” Gov. Justice said during a virtual news conference Tuesday. “We really haven’t seen Omicron in West Virginia yet, but we know it’s sweeping across the nation right now.”

The Governor went on to note that more than 500,000 new cases of COVID-19 were identified across the United States yesterday alone.

”If we had 500,000 new cases in one day, who knows where we’re going with this,” Gov. Justice said. “Hear me when I say you need to be vaccinated so badly, and if you’ve already been vaccinated, you need to have your booster shot.”

”This thing will surely skyrocket in West Virginia. You have to protect yourself.”

The cumulative percent positivity rate stands at 6.43 percent.

Of West Virginia’s 55 counties, 23 counties are color-coded red on the state’s County Alert System map. Five are color-coded green, indicating a low transmission rate.

As of Tuesday, 593 COVID-19 positive West Virginians are in the hospital, 181 have been admitted to the ICU and 103 are on ventilators.

309,656 West Virginians have recovered from COVID-19 complications.

Gov. Justice also reported that, per the West Virginia Department of Education, there are currently 22 school outbreaks in 15 counties with 272 confirmed cases.

West Virginians ages 5 years and older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Boosters are also available. To learn more about the vaccine, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965.

Of the eligible population, 64 percent has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 54 percent of that population is fully vaccinated.

Booster doses have now been administered to 312,649 people – or 34.1 percent of West Virginians who have received both doses of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine series or their dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Applications for the Do it for Babydog: Senior Center Edition are open for individuals over the age of 50 who have been fully vaccinated and who received their booster shot after December 7, 2021 to receive a $50 prepaid visa gift card. Please visit https://doitforbabydog.wv.gov/senior-registration.

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (61), Berkeley (1,233), Boone (92), Braxton (74), Brooke (85), Cabell (416), Calhoun (25), Clay (33), Doddridge (20), Fayette (223), Gilmer (42), Grant (50), Greenbrier (200), Hampshire (73), Hancock (92), Hardy (69), Harrison (309), Jackson (84), Jefferson (564), Kanawha (585), Lewis (57), Lincoln (72), Logan (140), Marion (239), Marshall (130), Mason (95), McDowell (99), Mercer (427), Mineral (103), Mingo (98), Monongalia (335), Monroe (106), Morgan (141), Nicholas (145), Ohio (217), Pendleton (13), Pleasants (20), Pocahontas (17), Preston (109), Putnam (284), Raleigh (377), Randolph (111), Ritchie (23), Roane (52), Summers (67), Taylor (97), Tucker (8), Tyler (24), Upshur (68), Wayne (153), Webster (26), Wetzel (61), Wirt (20), Wood (232), Wyoming (108). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit www.coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.

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