The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports, as of Sunday, January 31, 661 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified throughout the state and an additional nine residents have succumbed to complications stemming from the virus.
Among those confirmed deceased are an 85-year-old Kanawha County woman, a 47-year-old Pleasants County man, a 92-year-old Kanawha County woman, a 90-year-old Kanawha County woman, a 57-year-old Wood County man, a 59-year-old Berkeley County woman, a 74-year-old Boone County woman, a 74-year-old Marion County man and a 76-year-old Jefferson County man.
In a statement posted to the DHHR’s website, Cabinet Secretary Bill Crouch said, “The continued loss of beloved family members, neighbors and friends leaves a void in our hearts and in our state. We must work together and take every precaution to prevent further spread of COVID-19.”
All told, 2.024 West Virginians have now lost their lives due to complications stemming from COVID-19.
In recent weeks, active cases within the state have been steadily decreasing. The 21,195 cases reported as of Sunday, January 31 is down considerably from just seven-days ago. The daily positivity-rate is 6.49% and the cumulative positivity-rate is 5.61%. As of the time of writing, 68,230 residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus.
In an additional piece of positive news, Pocahontas County has been downgraded to the orange designation on the DHHR’s color-coded County Alert System Map for the first time in several weeks. The county’s infection rate is 39.84% and their percent positive is 7.34%.
At present, 456 West Virginians are hospitalized with COVID-19, including 128 of whom are being treated in the intensive care unit and 61 receiving assistance through ventilators. The W.Va. DHHR reports that 97,782 individuals previously infected with the virus have now recovered.
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