COVID cases soar in West Virginia as positivity again over 20% Wednesday

Brian Bergstrom
January 5, 2022

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Wednesday that 17,718 cases of COVID-19 are currently active in the Mountain State. That’s an increase of 1,807 since the last report.

Active cases have doubled in just five days as the far more contagious omicron variant sweeps across the state. At this rate, the Mountain State could reach an all-time record number of active cases within days.

Locally, COVID-19 cases are active in Upshur (160), Barbour (62), Lewis (77), Randolph (218) and Webster (25) counties. In Upshur County, that’s an increase of five active cases in the last 24 hours.

Eleven additional deaths have been attributed to the disease, according to the DHHR – a 67-year old male from Monongalia County, a 54-year old female from Tyler County, a 47-year old male from Mason County, an 83-year old male from Doddridge County, a 51-year old male from Kanawha County, an 86-year old male from Cabell County, a 58-year old male from Mason County, a 63-year old male from Nicholas County, a 61-year old male from Hampshire County, a 47-year old female from Doddridge County, and a 54-year old male from Pocahontas County.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of January 5, 2022, there are currently 17,718 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 11 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 5,372 deaths attributed to COVID-19,” according to a press release.

About 716 residents are hospitalized with the virus (78% unvaccinated, 22% vaccinated), with 195 currently in intensive care (87% unvaccinated, 13% vaccinated) and 118 on a ventilator (89% unvaccinated, 11% vaccinated). The daily percent positive was 20.76%.

A total of 922,444 people have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 in West Virginia, the DHHR said. That’s about 52% of the state.

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (62), Berkeley (2,835), Boone (157), Braxton (112), Brooke (151), Cabell (1,028), Calhoun (32), Clay (47), Doddridge (24), Fayette (383), Gilmer (35), Grant (108), Greenbrier (291), Hampshire (164), Hancock (281), Hardy (205), Harrison (557), Jackson (110), Jefferson (1,222), Kanawha (1,505), Lewis (77), Lincoln (134), Logan (220), Marion (481), Marshall (303), Mason (183), McDowell (127), Mercer (458), Mineral (351), Mingo (178), Monongalia (1,139), Monroe (129), Morgan (219), Nicholas (205), Ohio (636), Pendleton (22), Pleasants (42), Pocahontas (26), Preston (286), Putnam (559), Raleigh (610), Randolph (218), Ritchie (52), Roane (85), Summers (77), Taylor (128), Tucker (10), Tyler (39), Upshur (160), Wayne (258), Webster (25), Wetzel (141), Wirt (27), Wood (619), Wyoming (185).