Number of new COVID-19 cases in West Virginia nears all-time high amid prison outbreak in Randolph County

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Tuesday that 72 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in West Virginia.

Many of the new cases were in Randolph County, which is currently battling an outbreak at the Huttonsville Correctional Center. Randolph is now reporting the seventh-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1,000 tests were pending from the Huttonsville Correctional Center, according to data from the Division of Corrections. Of the 65 inmates whose results had been returned, 39 tested positive for COVID-19 and 26 negative.

One additional death has also been attributed to the disease, according to the DHHR — 75-year old male from Preston County.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports as of 5 p.m. on May 26, 2020, there have been 87,811 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 1,854 total cases and 74 deaths,” according to a press release.

The previous seven-day high for reported cases was 337 for the period ending April 10. Over the past seven days, 340 new cases have been reported, although that number includes some probable cases not previously included in the daily numbers.

With less than 1,000 new tests included in Tuesday’s report, the daily positive percentage was 7.11 percent, according to the DHHR.

New cases were reported Tuesday in Barbour, Berkeley, Fayette, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson, Kanawha, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Pleasants, Putnam and Wood counties.

About 600 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 1,180 people have recovered and 74 have died, a mortality rate of about 5.9 percent.

CASES PER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case): Barbour (9/0), Berkeley (280/10), Boone (9/0), Braxton (2/0), Brooke (3/0), Cabell (57/2), Calhoun (2/0), Clay (2/0), Fayette (46/0), Gilmer (10/0), Grant (10/1), Greenbrier (9/0), Hampshire (21/0), Hancock (16/2), Hardy (38/0), Harrison (39/1), Jackson (135/0), Jefferson (158/3), Kanawha (213/2), Lewis (5/0), Lincoln (5/0), Logan (16/0), Marion (50/0), Marshall (28/0), Mason (15/0), McDowell (6/0), Mercer (13/0), Mineral (38/2), Mingo (4/1), Monongalia (121/7), Monroe (6/1), Morgan (17/1), Nicholas (10/0), Ohio (40/0), Pendleton (8/1), Pleasants (4/1), Pocahontas (23/1), Preston (17/5), Putnam (33/0), Raleigh (15/1), Randolph (82/0), Ritchie (1/0), Roane (8/0), Summers (1/0), Taylor (8/0), Tucker (4/0), Tyler (3/0), Upshur (6/1), Wayne (97/0), Wetzel (8/0), Wirt (4/0), Wood (50/3), Wyoming (3/0).

Want to keep up-to-date with the latest local information about COVID-19? Bookmark our COVID-19 HQ page, which has the latest local news, numbers and more, like the charts below.