W.Va. DHHR reports 14 more Covid-related deaths

J. Damon Cain, The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
·2 min read

Jan. 26—charleston, w.va. — Deaths rose dramatically in the state's pandemic report on Thursday as the state counted an additional 14 Covid-related deaths — including that of a 62-year-old female from Raleigh County — when there had been none the day before.

That pushed the state's total to 7,822, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR).

Thursday was not the first day such jumps in the death count have been recorded by the DHHR.

And while most all other pandemic measurements were relatively flat, the number of patients on a ventilator for assisted breathing has climbed from six on Jan. 20 to 16 in both Wednesday's and Thursday's reports. But even at that, the ventilator count had been in double digits for all but four days since Dec. 23.

The number of Covid patients being treated in a hospital continued to fall in the Thursday report, down from 253 to 243 over the previous 24 hours. The count stayed below 300 for the 13th consecutive day.

The number of patients in an intensive care unit was up to 39 from 36 but still below 40 for a seventh consecutive day and below 50 for the 13th straight day.

Active Covid cases rose from 795 to 805, remaining below 1,000 for the fourth consecutive day and the ninth day of the last 11.

The state's positive test rate climbed from 6.03 percent to 7.48 percent, spending the fifth consecutive day and the 11th in the past 12 in single digits.

The DHHR confirmed the Covid-related deaths of a 90-year-old male from Wayne County, a 70-year-old male from Pendleton County, a 91-year old female from Putnam County, a 62-year old female from Raleigh County, an 80-year old male from Mercer County, an 87-year old male from Berkeley County, an 81-year old female from Cabell County, an 84-year old female from Harrison County, an 88-year old female from Kanawha County, a 75-year old female from Kanawha County, an 80-year old female from Cabell County, a 92-year old male from Webster County, an 88-year old male from Wood County and a 78-year old male from Kanawha County.