In late July 2021, the county health department alerted the public that COVID-19 cases were rising again. Active cases in Kanawha County grew to 124 on Monday, July 26, 2021, up from 58 on July 19.
The rise came after cases had fallen to a 12-month low. Active cases dropped to 57 on July 13, the fewest since June 2020. They had peaked at nearly 2,100 in early January 2021.
The health department said the recent cases were in people who were not vaccinated. The county had reported its first case of the Delta variant on July 8, 2021. The state had lifted its indoor mask rule on June 20.
By the end of August, the county health officer warned that cases were rising at an alarming rate. See Walk-up COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinic for the extra clinics that followed.