From the Office of the Governor:
CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice joined West Virginia health leaders and other officials on Friday for a daily press briefing regarding the State’s COVID-19 response.
VACCINE DISTRIBUTION UPDATE
During his briefing, Gov. Justice reported that West Virginia continues to lead the nation in the rate of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration.
As of Friday, 77,156 of 109,440 first doses delivered in West Virginia to date have been administered; a rate of 70.50 percent.
More than 12,500 doses have been administered in the past 24 hours alone.
“Just think of the lives that we saved just yesterday,” Gov. Justice said. “How many did we save? How much is that worth? You can’t put a price on that. We’re giving life and hope to these people.”
The Governor went on to report that several vaccination clinics were held in West Virginia yesterday for members of the general public age 80 and older.
These clinics were the first in a series of 10 such events being held across the state at various locations and dates throughout the rest of this week. They are being organized through Gov. Justice’s recently announced “Save Our Wisdom” program, which aims to provide vaccines to all individuals age 80 and older, as well as all Pre-K-12 school teachers and staff age 50 and older.
Approximately 30 additional vaccination clinics were also held yesterday for school teachers and staff age 50 and older, with another 20-plus such clinics scheduled for today.
According to early reports, about 70 percent of qualified school employees are currently choosing to get vaccinated.
“We need to save people’s lives and we need to get back in school,” Gov. Justice said.
Also, all of the long-term care facilities under the AMFM Nursing & Rehabilitation Centers umbrella will complete their second doses today.
The Governor also highlighted Bloomberg.com’s vaccine tracker, which also includes data on each state’s vaccination rate, and noted that, adjusting for West Virginia’s latest numbers of doses distributed to the state versus doses administered, West Virginia leads the nation in this category as well, notching a 70.5 percent vaccination rate. North Dakota is the next closest state at 62.1 percent.
“We want to lap the field, because every time we do, we’re saving lives,” Gov. Justice said. “The net-net of the whole thing is that West Virginia is the very best state in the country at getting these life-saving shots in people’s arms.”
COVID-19 VACCINE INFO LINE REMINDER
Also on Friday, Gov. Justice provided a reminder that the State has launched a new COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line to help West Virginians get information on the distribution process and availability of COVID-19 vaccines.
The line operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit vaccinate.wv.gov for more information, including details on vaccine availability and other frequently asked questions.
