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4th round of “Do it for Babydog” Vaccination Sweepstakes prize winners to be announced Wednesday
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CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice and members of the West Virginia COVID-19 pandemic response leadership team held another news briefing today to update the public on the State’s latest pandemic response efforts.
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GOV. JUSTICE CONTINUES TO URGE VACCINATIONS AS DELTA VARIANT CASE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO CLIMB
During Tuesday’s briefing, Gov. Justice yet again pleaded with West Virginians who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so, noting that cases of the dangerous Delta variant continue to rise across the state.
There are now 17 confirmed Delta variant cases spread across eight West Virginia counties, up more than 41% from 12 cases last week.
“This Delta variant is coming to West Virginia in a bigger way than it is today,” Gov. Justice said. “I hope and pray that it doesn’t come to West Virginia and run across our state like wild, but the odds are it will. It’s moving across our nation. In some places, hospitals are scrambling around trying to find additional respirators. It sounds awfully familiar to the horror stories that we went through over the last year and saw all over the place.
“We know this variant is more contagious and more deadly, but we know that the vaccines are still great at protecting us against this variant,” Gov. Justice continued. “We are continuing to watch the situation. But, like it or not it, it’s coming to West Virginia and you need to be protected.”
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GOVERNOR SHARES WOWK REPORTER’S POWERFUL STORY OF SURVIVAL AGAINST COVID-19
Additionally Tuesday, Gov. Justice discussed a recent news segment on WOWK-TV’s weekly show Inside West Virginia Politics, hosted by Mark Curtis. In this week’s episode, Curtis was joined by his colleague and WOWK multimedia journalist Erin Noon, who talked about contracting a severe case of COVID-19 and her fight to survive against the disease.
“It’s a very impactful story, and I hope all West Virginians will listen,” Gov. Justice said.
The Governor aired the full segment during his briefing.
During the segment, Noon echoed Gov. Justice’s pleas for all West Virginians to get vaccinated.
Click here to watch the full segment
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4TH ROUND OF “DO IT FOR BABYDOG” PRIZE WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY
Also on Tuesday, Gov. Justice offered a reminder that the 4th round of prize winners through the “Do it for Babydog” Vaccination Sweepstakes will be announced tomorrow, Wednesday, July 14.
“Tomorrow, we’re going on the road once again to give away some incredible prizes; Babydog will be with us,” Gov. Justice said. “We’ll make someone very wealthy tomorrow and we’ll also give away a couple of big trucks and lots more great stuff.”
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Prize giveaways for vaccinated West Virginians ages 18 and older include one cash prize of $1 million, two brand-new custom-outfitted trucks, five lifetime hunting licenses, five lifetime fishing licenses, five custom hunting rifles, five custom hunting shotguns, and 25 weekend getaways to West Virginia State Parks. Additionally, two vaccinated West Virginians ages 12-25 will receive a full four-year scholarship to any public institution in the state.
Over 349,000 West Virginians have registered for the sweepstakes to date.
While the registration deadline to be eligible to win in the July 14 prize drawing has passed, all vaccinated West Virginians are still able and encouraged to register for future drawings at DoitforBabydog.wv.gov for an opportunity to join the list of winners.
“All of this is for one purpose: to try to get more and more people vaccinated,” Gov. Justice said. “The more people we have vaccinated – no question whatsoever – the less will die.
“Your chances of winning are off the chart,” Gov. Justice continued. “All you've got to do is get vaccinated and register.”
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Additional prize drawings will be held every Wednesday through August 4.
The final drawing will include a $1.588 million grand prize and a $588,000 second prize in addition to all the weekly prizes listed above.
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VACCINE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Free COVID-19 vaccinations are available to all West Virginians ages 12 and older.
All West Virginians interested in being vaccinated are urged to visit Vaccinate.wv.gov or call the West Virginia Vaccine Info Line: 1-833-734-0965. The info line is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All West Virginians who have received one dose of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines need to remember to get their second dose as well to ensure maximum protection against COVID-19.
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In addition to clinic locations, vaccinations continue to be made available at Walgreens locations, the Med Shoppe/Leader network of pharmacies, Walmart locations, and additional independent pharmacies throughout the state as part of the federal pharmacy partnership in West Virginia.
West Virginians can visit Vaccines.gov for assistance in locating and securing an appointment at one of these federal pharmacy partners.
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The Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) on COVID-19 vaccines continues to ask manufacturers and businesses across the state to increase vaccine access for employees and their families by reaching out to the JIATF to organize vaccination clinics at their facilities. Additionally, church leaders are still urged to contact the JIATF for help organizing vaccination clinics for interested members of their congregations.
Anyone interested in organizing one of these vaccination clinics is asked to contact the West Virginia Vaccine Info Line: 1-833-734-0965.
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WEST VIRGINIA SURPASSES 65% VACCINATION RATE; CASES DROP BELOW 1,000 FOR FIRST TIME IN A YEAR
Additionally Tuesday, Gov. Justice announced that 66.8% of all West Virginians who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine have received at least one dose. To date, 1,040,958 of 1,557,837 vaccine-eligible West Virginians have received their first shot.
“Remember, 65% is the number that we were trying really, really hard to get to,” Gov. Justice said. “For people who are ages 65 and older, we have 88.7% of them with their first shots. From the standpoint of our people ages 50 and older, we’re at 81.4%. It’s unbelievable.”
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“As we go forward, West Virginia, you’re doing really good, but we’ve got to keep at it,” Gov. Justice continued.
Last week, the Governor announced that he and other members of West Virginia’s COVID-19 pandemic response leadership team have established new vaccination goals; aiming to vaccinate 90% of all West Virginians ages 65 and older and 85% of all West Virginians ages 50 and older with at least one dose.
The Governor also reported Tuesday that the state’s total number of active cases had dropped below 1,000 for the first time since July 8, 2020; almost exactly one year ago.
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COVID-19 DATA AVAILABLE AT CORONAVIRUS.WV.GOV
For more information about West Virginia’s latest COVID-19-related data, visit the West Virginia COVID-19 Dashboard at Coronavirus.wv.gov.
The dashboard provides a detailed breakdown of case numbers, vaccination data, and more; including the color-coded County Alert Map system, hospitalization data, and several additional features.
The dashboard is updated Monday-Friday at 10 a.m.
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On Tuesday, Gov. Justice reported that there are currently three active outbreaks reported at churches in Cabell, McDowell, and Webster counties. Additionally, there are now four active outbreaks in long-term care facilities across the state.
Meanwhile, there is currently just one active inmate case and one active staff case across the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation system. To view the latest DCR case update, click here.
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COVID-19 TESTING STILL AVAILABLE ACROSS STATE
Also on Tuesday, Gov. Justice provided an overview of the 50 counties across the state that currently have free COVID-19 testing sites available through the Governor’s Aggressive Testing initiative.
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Testing is available to all residents, including asymptomatic individuals. Proof of insurance is not required. Attendees should bring identification, such as a driver’s license or proof of address, to help in returning test results. Those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
An interactive online map of all free testing locations across West Virginia is available online. Users can filter the map by type of testing site or by county. Each location is marked on the map with a pin. After finding a testing location nearby, users are able to click on the pin for more information about that particular testing site, including the specific location and timeframe during which testing will be held.
Click here to view all locations, dates, times, and more details
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GOV. JUSTICE CONGRATULATES FORMER STATE HEALTH OFFICER DR. RAHUL GUPTA ON SELECTION AS U.S. DRUG CZAR
Also on Tuesday, Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 to congratulate former West Virginia State Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta for being selected by President Joe Biden to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy as the U.S. Drug Czar.
“This is incredible news,” Gov. Justice said. “Dr. Gupta did all kinds of great work here in our battle against opioids, and to have him plugged into that position can only make things better.”
Following Tuesday’s briefing, Gov. Justice issued a full statement on Dr. Gupta’s selection.
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GOVERNOR HONORS MARTINSBURG MAYOR HARRIET JOHNSON AFTER HER PASSING LAST WEEK
Additionally, Gov. Justice took time to honor Martinsburg Mayor Harriet Johnson after her passing last Thursday.
“Mayor Johnson was extremely proud of being elected as the first female mayor in the city’s 243-year history,” Gov. Justice said. “It’s a big loss – someone who made history.
“To Mayor Johnson and all of her loved ones and family, Cathy and I send our prayers and our love and our thoughts. We want you to know that we are right with you,” Gov. Justice continued. “To Mayor Johnson, we thank you for all your service and work to an absolutely outstanding community; a community that’s on the move. May God be with you and all of your family.”
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GOV. JUSTICE DISCUSSES CHEF AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Also, Gov. Justice took time to announce that yesterday marked the launch of the West Virginia Chef Ambassador Program.
The program will showcase talented chefs across the Mountain State to promote West Virginia’s culinary innovation, farm-to-table experiences, and growing agri-tourism industry.
“Ambassadors will be selected to serve a one-year term based on a set of evaluation criteria, such as years of experience in the food service industry, demonstration of leadership within the local community, innovation and culinary excellence in the workplace, and support of West Virginia agriculture,” Gov. Justice said.
Nominations are now open for this year’s inaugural class of chef ambassadors.
“I encourage all West Virginians to nominate their favorite West Virginia chef,” Gov. Justice said.
Click here to read more
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Click here to view all Executive Orders and other actions taken by Gov. Justice to combat the spread of COVID-19 in West Virginia.
For more information about COVID-19 prevention and more, call the State’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-887-4304 or visit Coronavirus.wv.gov.
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