On Tuesday, September 21, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported 655 active cases of the coronavirus in Putnam County. The active case number rose steadily from 33 on July 9 to 1,167 on September 16. The rapid increase in case numbers during that period was the result of the Delta variant.

While the Fizer and Moderna vaccines failed to stop the Delta variant completely, the vaccines have been effective in reducing…