The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has reported the identification of 940 new cases and 14 additional COVID-19-related deaths within the last 24 hours.
Among those confirmed deceased are a 93-year-old Wood County woman, a 72-year-old Kanawha County man, a 54-year-old Cabell County man, a 66-year-old Mercer County man, an 81-year-old Doddridge County man, a 65-year-old Kanawha County woman, a 66-year-old Harrison County man, a 74-year-old Kanawha County woman, a 68-year-old Wood County man, a 36-year-old Kanawha County woman, an 83-year-old Wood County woman, an 84-year-old Cabell County man, a 78-year-old Kanawha County man and a 58-year-old Hancock County woman.
In a statement posted to the DHHR’s website, Cabinet Secretary Bill Crouch said, “This is another tragic day for West Virginia as the death toll continues to rise. Our hearts go out to these West Virginians and their families. Let’s continue taking every precaution we can to slow the spread of this disease.”
Despite Crouch’s somber words, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice reacted much more positively to the day’s news.
“We’ve lost an additional 35 people in the state of West Virginia in the last couple days,” Justice said, during his Thursday, Jan. 21 coronavirus response media-briefing. “To just tell it like it is, I’m tickled to death that we’ve only lost 35, even though every one is too many. [ ] Trust me, it’s a whole heck of a lot better than where I think we’ve been. [ ] I would also caution everyone that one robin doesn’t make spring, but just a little bit of good news that I believe we should pass on for encouragement and enthusiasm for our people that there is light, because of the good Lord there is light here at the end of this tunnel, and we’re going to get there.”
Justice then went on to identify the 35 West Virginians who have died since his last briefing on Tuesday, Jan. 19. A total of 1,849 residents have now succumbed to complications stemming from COVID-19.
Since March 17, 112,617 cases of COVID-19 have been identified across the Mountain State, including the 25,737 that remain currently active. As of Thursday, Jan. 21, the daily positivity-rate is 5.25% and the cumulative positivity-rate is 5.52%. There have been 32,122 residents fully vaccinated thus far.
After being “scrubbed,” the W.Va. DHHR’s color-coded county alert map system now reflects only 15 West Virginia counties designated as red. Tucker is the first county in the state to be designated as green in almost two months. Greenbrier and Monroe Counties are designated as orange, while Pocahontas County remains designated as red.
Details have thus far been sparse regarding exactly what the “scrubbing” of the color-coded county alert map consisted of. The West Virginia Daily News will provide additional information as details are made available.
At present, 638 West Virginians are hospitalized with COVID-19, 167 of whom are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, with 88 being assisted through ventilators. The W.Va. DHHR reports that 85,031 of those previously infected with the virus have now recovered.
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