Covid cases in the Mountain State continue to climb

Sep. 30—While state officials, including Gov. Jim Justice, were predicting that the state had hit a peak in the most recent surge of Covid cases, current active cases did a reversal of a recent downward trend in the Thursday report by the Department of Health and Human Resources, climbing to 13,736 cases from 13,344 the previous day.

The new number is still far below the record 29,744 set two weeks ago on Thursday Sept. 16, and other hospital care statistics would indicate the surge has turned.

Hospitalizations were at 972 in the Thursday report, showing a sideway drift as that metric was at 952 on Sept. 19 and had set a record 1,012 on Sept. 24.

The number of patients in intensive care units was showing the same sideways trend, coming in at 281 in Thursday's report, down 15 from a record 196 a day earlier, but nearly even with the 279 recorded Sept. 16.

The number of Covid patients on ventilator breathing support climbed again, however, up to 188 in the Thursday report, down from a record 192 in the Monday report.

At the pandemic press briefing on Wednesday, as he has said before, Gov. Justice warned, "We're going to lose a bunch more people, West Virginia. No question about that."

In its Thursday report, the DHHR confirmed 1,961 new Covid cases, up from 1,433 the day prior. Also, the DHHR confirmed 28 more Covid-related deaths. They were a 77-year-old male from Logan County, a 50-year-old male from Logan County, a 72-year-old male from Brooke County, a 75-year-old male from Logan County, a 73-year-old male from Marion County, a 75-year-old male from Berkeley County, a 61-year-old male from Wood County, an 87-year-old female from Marion County, a 65-year-old male from Mercer County, an 87-year-old female from Morgan County, a 52-year-old male from Harrison County, a 73-year-old male from Kanawha County, a 78-year-old male from Harrison County, an 82-year-old female from Jefferson County, a 73-year-old male from Calhoun County, a 51-year-old male from Wetzel County, an 80-year-old female from Morgan County, a 51-year-old female from Tyler County, a 62-year-old female from Hampshire County, a 95-year-old male from Morgan County, a 46-year-old male from Wetzel County, a 76-year-old female from Nicholas County, a 94-year-old male from Monroe County, a 78-year-old female from Jackson County, a 71-year-old female from Mason County, a 74-year-old male from Mingo County, and a 76-year-old female from Wetzel County.