West Virginia Hits 46 Deaths In One Day — A New Record, Health Officials Say

West Virginia health officials reported yet another unwelcomed record in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as new daily deaths hit a record Tuesday. The state Department of Health and Human Services said it has recorded 46 new deaths in the last 24-hour reporting period.

Many of those included in the latest coronavirus death report from DHHR were in their 80s and 90s, although some listed in the report were much younger.

“As the COVID-19 fatality count continues to rise, we must remember that these individuals are daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, neighbors and friends,” Bill Crouch, DHHR secretary, said in a statement. “We owe it to them to continue the fight against this virus with preventive measures such as mask wearing, social distancing and washing hands.”

Tuesday’s figure surpasses the previous record, when 42 new deaths were reported on Dec. 22.

State health officials also reported Tuesday more than 1,200 new cases of the virus, bringing the total number of cases above 93,000. More than a quarter of reported cases are considered active. More than 64,000 people in the state have recovered from the virus, according to DHHR.

Many health experts in the state and across the nation warned people not to get together for the holidays. West Virginia has continued to see a significant uptick in the virus following Thanksgiving, with the total number of cases more than doubling since then.

To date, 1,442 West Virginians have died from the virus since it first arrived in the state in mid-March.

The state is also seeing an increased strain on health care resources. There were 806 people hospitalized for the virus as of Monday, including a record 214 patients in intensive care units.

According to data from DHHR, about 55 percent of the more than 103,000 doses of vaccines received by the state have been administered.