Despite map tweaks, red counties spread in southern West Virginia as state reports 253 new COVID-19 cases Friday

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Friday that 253 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Mountain State.

Three additional deaths have been attributed to the disease, according to the DHHR – an 83-year old male from Mingo County, an 87-year old female from Mason County, and a 62-year old male from Logan County.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports as of 10 a.m., September 18, 2020, there have been 502,803 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 13,683 total cases and 297 deaths,” according to a press release.

The discrepancy in Upshur County cases persisted on Friday, with the DHHR reporting 60 total cases and the Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department reporting 63.

While that means Upshur County has turned green again on the latest tweaked version of the state alert map, several counties in the southern part of the state are now in the red, including Kanawha, Putnam, Fayette and Mingo.

Monongalia and Boone are orange, while Pocahontas, Ohio, Jackson, Cabell, Lincoln, Wayne, Logan and Wyoming are the new gold color introduced this week.

Cases in schools continue to spread, with Cabell-Midland High School announcing Thursday that a football player tested positive for COVID-19. The players, coaches and students and teachers of five classes are now in quarantine, according to the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.

New cases were reported Friday in Berkeley, Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Summers, Taylor, Wayne, Wirt, Wood and Wyoming counties.

A record 3,375 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 10,011 people have recovered and 297 have died. The daily percent positive was 4.85%.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (42), Berkeley (929), Boone (191), Braxton (10), Brooke (106), Cabell (707), Calhoun (23), Clay (33), Doddridge (17), Fayette (524), Gilmer (20), Grant (150), Greenbrier (119), Hampshire (100), Hancock (140), Hardy (78), Harrison (332), Jackson (244), Jefferson (413), Kanawha (2194), Lewis (38), Lincoln (153), Logan (559), Marion (252), Marshall (150), Mason (130), McDowell (86), Mercer (394), Mineral (161), Mingo (346), Monongalia (1836), Monroe (146), Morgan (49), Nicholas (79), Ohio (349), Pendleton (51), Pleasants (16), Pocahontas (59), Preston (147), Putnam (471), Raleigh (470), Randolph (233), Ritchie (10), Roane (43), Summers (34), Taylor (117), Tucker (15), Tyler (15), Upshur (60), Wayne (336), Webster (7), Wetzel (49), Wirt (10), Wood (346), Wyoming (94).