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DHHR: Upshur, Randolph county men among batch of 34 unreported COVID-19 deaths

Brian Bergstrom
March 31, 2021

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Wednesday that 416 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Mountain State. The DHHR also reported a new batch of previously unreported COVID-19 deaths, taking the overall death toll to 2,676.

Locally, new cases were reported in Upshur (2), Barbour (3), Lewis (4), Randolph (3) and Webster (5) counties. A total of 37 cases are currently active in Upshur County, according to the DHHR.

Thirty-six additional deaths have been attributed to the disease, according to the DHHR.

Two of those came in the last 24 hours, a 74-year old female from Berkeley County and an 84-year old female from Putnam County. An additional 34 deaths were discovered as unreported from previous dates:

a 56-year old male from Upshur County,
an 88-year old male from Randolph County,
a 34-year old female from Wayne County,
a 78-year old male from Tyler County,
a 93-year old female from Preston County,
a 47-year old male from Wetzel County,
a 78-year old female from Pocahontas County,
an 87-year old female from Ohio County,
a 78-year old female from Logan County,
a 73-year old male from Cabell County,
an 89-year old male from Wayne County,
a 67-year old female from Marshall County,
a 93-year old female from Mercer County,
an 85-year old male from Putnam County,
a 78-year old male from Greenbrier County,
a 73-year old male from Berkeley County,
a 92-year old female from Jefferson County,
a 78-year old female from Logan County,
an 80-year old male from Braxton County,
a 92-year old female from Wetzel County,
a 56-year old female from Kanawha County,
an 84-year old female from Greenbrier County,
a 67-year old female from Kanawha County,
a 63-year old female from Clay County,
a 91-year old male from Hardy County,
a 79-year old male from Mercer County,
a 78-year old male from Mineral County,
a 68-year old male from Kanawha County,
a 59-year old male from Putnam County,
a 78- year old male from Harrison County,
an 81-year old female from Boone County,
a 68-year old male from Hancock County,
a 95-year old female from Wood County,
an 86-year old male from Monroe County.

The DHHR is now examining death certificates, which has revealed COVID-19 related deaths that were not previously reported to the state.

“We take the reporting of these tragic deaths very seriously,” said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary, in a press release. “As we extend our deepest sympathies to their loved ones, we also encourage all West Virginians to recognize the continued need to take every possible step to slow the spread of this disease.”

According to the DHHR, the spread of the virus in West Virginia continues to tick up from the low in early March.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of March 31, 2021, there have been 2,447,894 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 141,738 total cases and 2,676 total deaths,” according to the press release.

About 6,278 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 132,784 people have recovered and 2,676 have died. The daily percent positive was 3.64%.

A total of 313,427 people have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 in West Virginia, meaning they have received both doses of the vaccine, the DHHR said.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,313), Berkeley (10,686), Boone (1,744), Braxton (838), Brooke (2,063), Cabell (8,406), Calhoun (243), Clay (394), Doddridge (515), Fayette (2,994), Gilmer (730), Grant (1,169), Greenbrier (2,500), Hampshire (1,616), Hancock (2,631), Hardy (1,394), Harrison (5,156), Jackson (1,778), Jefferson (4,051), Kanawha (13,095), Lewis (1,103), Lincoln (1,357), Logan (2,943), Marion (3,934), Marshall (3,175), Mason (1,872), McDowell (1,412), Mercer (4,389), Mineral (2,646), Mingo (2,309), Monongalia (8,655), Monroe (1,017), Morgan (1,017), Nicholas (1,381), Ohio (3,842), Pendleton (666), Pleasants (817), Pocahontas (616), Preston (2,720), Putnam (4,544), Raleigh (5,533), Randolph (2,465), Ritchie (640), Roane (526), Summers (728), Taylor (1,152), Tucker (517), Tyler (657), Upshur (1,782), Wayne (2,750), Webster (447), Wetzel (1,169), Wirt (368), Wood (7,446) and Wyoming (1,827).