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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) Hospitalizations in West Virginia due to COVID-19 have more than doubled since the Fourth of July and cases are up amid the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

State officials said they do not currently plan to bring back an indoor mask mandate, but they indicated they are open to shifts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to backpedal Tuesday on its masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, a federal official said.

Republican Gov. Jim Justice said he does not think we are on the threshold of moving in that direction today, but, he added, weve all got to be smart enough to be open-minded.

He said he did not receive any recommendations from his health advisers to reinstate the mask mandate, which was lifted on June 20. But I will continue to listen, and I will absolutely act on the advice of experts, he said.

There are 111 hospitalizations in the state, a steady uptick since early July. There were 121 new confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, up from 51 cases a week ago.

The state has recorded 43 total confirmed cases of the delta variant.

Our hospital numbers are shooting up, said James Hoyer, a retired major general who leads the states coronavirus task force, which he said is now on its 501st day.

Officials have repeatedly urged more residents to get vaccinated, emphasizing that the vaccines are safe and offer strong protection against contracting the potentially life-threatening disease. Nearly 59% of all residents have received at least one dose, while 49% are fully vaccinated.

Those numbers drop sharply among young people. Only 29% of West Virginia children aged 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while 36% of residents aged 18 to 29 are covered, according to Hoyer.

Please quit following the misinformation thats out there, particularly across the internet and social media sites. Talk to someone who is a medical professional, Hoyer said to those who are vaccine hesitant.

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COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in West Virginia - Associated Press