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West Virginia reports record high number of new COVID-19 cases Thursday as death rate climbs

Brian Bergstrom
December 17, 2020

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Thursday that 1,636 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the Mountain State. That is a new single-day record increase.

Thirty-two additional deaths were also announced Thursday, bringing the three-day death toll to nearly 100 West Virginians. The virus is killing state residents at the highest rate since the pandemic began, with an average of more than 21 people now dying every day.

Thursday’s death toll included three people from Barbour County and one from Lewis County.

Locally, new cases were reported in Upshur (14), Barbour (2), Lewis (10), Randolph (22) and Webster (3) counties.

A total of 91 cases are currently active in Upshur County, according to the DHHR. Thursday’s update:

Added nine probable and seven confirmed cases to Dec. 16
Removed one probable case and added three confirmed cases to Dec. 15
Removed four probable cases from Dec. 14
Added one confirmed case to Dec. 12

The deaths reported statewide Thursday include:

a 98-year old female from Barbour County,
a 78-year old male from Barbour County,
an 81-year old male from Monongalia County,
a 92-year old female from Brooke County,
a 105-year old female from Jefferson County,
a 57-year old female from Ohio County,
a 70-year old female from Marshall County,
an 84-year old male from Boone County,
a 92-year old female from Ohio County,
an 85-year old male from Preston County,
an 89-year old female from Marshall County,
a 100-year old female from Boone County,
a 74-year old female from Wood County,
a 92-year old female from Brooke County,
an 81-year old male from Brooke County,
an 80-year old male from Marshall County,
a 75-year old female from Hardy County,
a 76-year old male from Mercer County,
a 71-year old male from Lewis County, a
n 85-year old female from Preston County,
a 92-year old female from Brooke County,
a 76-year old male from Mercer County,
a 59-year old female from Harrison County,
a 66-year old female from Wood County,
a 61-year old male from Wood County,
a 76-year old male from Tucker County,
a 60-year old female from Barbour County,
a 93-year old female from Kanawha County,
a 74-year old male from Monongalia County,
a 90-year old female from Raleigh County,
an 83-year old female from Raleigh County,
an 81-year old male from Raleigh County.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports as of December 17, 2020, there have been 1,353,347 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 68,485 total cases and 1,071 deaths,” according to a press release.

About 21,832 West Virginia cases remain active, according DHHR data. Of the cases that are no longer active, 45,582 people have recovered and 1071 have died. The daily percent positive was 8.13%.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (577), Berkeley (4,916), Boone (859), Braxton (190), Brooke (1,083), Cabell (4,221), Calhoun (112), Clay (216), Doddridge (183), Fayette (1,429), Gilmer (262), Grant (624), Greenbrier (1025), Hampshire (724), Hancock (1,441), Hardy (578), Harrison (2,205), Jackson (949), Jefferson (1,961), Kanawha (7,412), Lewis (369), Lincoln (596), Logan (1,292), Marion (1,347), Marshall (1,724), Mason (856), McDowell (773), Mercer (2,006), Mineral (1,941), Mingo (1,172), Monongalia (4,422), Monroe (505), Morgan (499), Nicholas (529), Ohio (2,102), Pendleton (202), Pleasants (228), Pocahontas (304), Preston (1,188), Putnam (2,560), Raleigh (2,212), Randolph (969), Ritchie (272), Roane (248), Summers (343), Taylor (530), Tucker (252), Tyler (254), Upshur (675), Wayne (1,417), Webster (114), Wetzel (549), Wirt (167), Wood (3,913), Wyoming (988).