Active cases fall across region, statewide, despite hospitalizations

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

Jan. 27—Wednesday's report: As a record 1,043 patients have been hospitalized for Covid treatment in West Virginia as of Wednesday and as the number of new cases jumped from 2,748 to 4,003 over the previous 24 hours, the number of active cases continued to fall, statewide and across the region, according to the latest report by the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR).

Active cases in the state declined to 18,149, according to the Wednesday report, down from 19,277 the day before on Monday and from 21,417 on Sunday.

Regionally, active cases fell by 360 with declines reported in each of the nine counties that make up The Register-Herald primary market. With a reported 3,877 cases, the region still sits above the 3,483 cases counted last Friday.

Raleigh County dropped below 1,000 cases for the first time in the last four days, dropping to 993 from 1,067. On Sunday, the county was at 1,163 active cases.

Statewide, the positive test rate remained high, at 22.01 percent, the 10th day in the past 11 that the rate was above 20 percent. The record, 25.60, was set Sunday.

Raleigh County's positive test rate fell to 25.77 percent from 30.23 in the previous 24 hours, while rates were up in three other regional counties — Greenbrier, from 25.58 to 31.97; Monroe, from 21.95 to 30.67; and Wyoming, from 21.74 to 22.36;

The number of Covid patients in intensive care units across the state rose by seven to 225, well off the record 296 set Sept. 29, 2021, but above the 181 counted on Thanksgiving Day last year.

The number of Covid patients on a ventilator for breathing support was down to 107 from 113 in the past day, it, too, well off its record of 195 set Sept. 25 but also up from the Thanksgiving mark of 97.

The DHHR reported 24 more Covid-related deaths since the Tuesday report, including four from Mercer County, pushing the state's total to 5,674.

DHHR confirmed the deaths of a 48-year-old male from Mercer County, a 78-year-old male from Barbour County, an 86-year-old female from Boone County, a 74-year-old male from Lincoln County, a 67-year-old male from Cabell County, a 65-year-old male from Kanawha County, a 90-year-old female from Cabell County, a 70-year-old female from Mercer County, a 62-year-old female from Fayette County, a 74-year-old male from Mercer County, an 86-year-old female from Braxton County, a 79-year-old male from Cabell County, an 80-year-old female from Ritchie County, a 59-year-old female from Wood County, a 74-year-old male from Lincoln County, a 66-year-old female from Mercer County, an 84-year-old male from Putnam County, a 65-year-old female from Lincoln County, a 77-year-old male from Berkeley County, a 75-year-old female from Wetzel County, a 71-year-old male from Harrison County, a 91-year-old female from Kanawha County, an 86-year-old female from Ohio County, and a 66-year-old male from Barbour County.