Special Report

These are the Counties in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metro Area with the Most Deaths from COVID-19

Samuel Stebbins

Published: July 23, 2021 5:00 am

The ongoing vaccination effort is allowing life in the United States to return to some degree of normalcy. So far, the virus has claimed 603,880 American lives — more than the total number of Americans killed in World War I and World War II combined.

In the Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area, which covers parts of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio, a total of 582 deaths have been attributed to the virus, equal to 162 fatalities for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, 185 deaths have been attributed to the virus per 100,000 people.

Though deaths attributable to the virus are less common across the metro area than they are nationwide, in some parts of the city the per capita death rate is more in line with the national average.

The broader Huntington metro area comprises seven counties or county equivalents — and of them, Cabell County has had the most COVID-19 fatalities per capita. So far, the per capita coronavirus death rate in Cabell County stands at 187 for every 100,000 people.

Though it has the highest per capita death rate in the Huntington-Ashland metro area, Cabell County ranks among the middle 50% of all U.S. counties or county equivalents with at least one COVID-19 fatality by death rate per capita.

All COVID-19 data used in this story are current as of July 20, 2021.

These are all the counties in West Virginia where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).