West Virginia announces record number of new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, eight more deaths

Brian Bergstrom
November 5, 2020

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Thursday that 560 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Mountain State, a record single-day increase.

Eight additional deaths have been attributed to the disease, according to the DHHR – a 91-year old female from Wetzel County, an 86-year old male from Cabell County, an 81-year old female from Cabell County, an 89-year old female from Mercer County, a 67-year old male from Mercer County, a 71-year old female from Mercer County, an 82-year old male from Putnam County, and a 90-year old female from Summers County.

For the first time in 10 days, Upshur County did not report an increase in total cases. Thursday’s report did make several changes to the Upshur County data, however:

One probable case was removed from Oct. 30 and one confirmed case was added to the same date.
Three probable cases were removed from Nov. 2 and three confirmed cases were added to the same date.
Three probable cases and two confirmed cases were removed from Nov. 3.
One probable case and four confirmed cases were added to Nov. 4.

Upshur County fell to yellow on the daily alert map due to a drop in positivity percentage. The county is still orange by infection rate and has 56 active cases, according to the DHHR.

Free testing events are scheduled throughout Upshur County all week.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports as of 10 a.m., November 5, 2020, there have been 814,774 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 26,547 total cases and 480 deaths,” according to a press release.

The state is currently reporting record numbers of active case and hospitalizations. The cumulative positive rate has increased to 2.99% and is nearly at the 3% level Gov. Jim Justice had previously established as the benchmark for shutdown orders.

Case totals increased Thursday in every West Virginia county except: Calhoun, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Tucker, Upshur, Webster and Wirt counties.

About 5,894 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 20,173 people have recovered and 480 have died. The daily percent positive was 3.94%.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (195), Berkeley (1794), Boone (439), Braxton (82), Brooke (263), Cabell (1643), Calhoun (37), Clay (70), Doddridge (75), Fayette (827), Gilmer (71), Grant (203), Greenbrier (231), Hampshire (165), Hancock (253), Hardy (113), Harrison (711), Jackson (438), Jefferson (676), Kanawha (3997), Lewis (132), Lincoln (285), Logan (821), Marion (445), Marshall (494), Mason (189), McDowell (153), Mercer (850), Mineral (294), Mingo (708), Monongalia (2434), Monroe (273), Morgan (170), Nicholas (201), Ohio (719), Pendleton (79), Pleasants (40), Pocahontas (74), Preston (249), Putnam (1073), Raleigh (916), Randolph (452), Ritchie (65), Roane (117), Summers (160), Taylor (178), Tucker (68), Tyler (68), Upshur (293), Wayne (651), Webster (38), Wetzel (264), Wirt (59), Wood (856), Wyoming (396).