State’s COVID-19 Death Toll Revised Down By 122

West Virginia officials removed 122 deaths from the state’s COVID-19 death toll this week.

These deaths occurred in 2021 and were actually caused by something other than COVID-19.

The state double checks COVID-19 related deaths by comparing reports from hospitals and death certificates from state medical examiners. The hospital reports take days to file while death certificates can take weeks.

“But this is an ongoing process. And we do appreciate all the providers who are still filling out those reports so that we can have timely information as needed, and we’ll continue to review them as necessary to get accurate data,” State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad said.

The updated count says 6,716 West Virginians have died during the pandemic.

While daily reports from the West Virginia Department Of Health and Human Resources suggest deaths are trending down, the exact figures are elusive because of delays in reporting.

COVID-19 is at a lull in the state. Currently, there are fewer than 100 new COVID-19 cases per day. Hospitalizations have dropped to around 140 after peaking above 1,000 during the delta and omicron surges.

The latest BA.2 variant is causing cases to rise in Europe now accounts for most new cases in the U.S. Right now, it’s not causing cases to rise in the U.S.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.