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First Case Of COVID-19 Omicron Variant Reported In West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia health officials say the state's first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has been reported in an unvaccinated resident in Marion County.

The state Department of Health and Human Resources said Thursday it would provide no further information to protect the patient's confidentiality.

Active cases of the virus statewide have nearly doubled in the past three weeks to more than 8,700, according to the DHHR's website.

The number of people hospitalized statewide for the virus also has been increasing this month and was at 623 on Thursday.

There have been 5,142 virus-related deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic.

(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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