Office of the Governor > News > Press Releases > 2021 Press Releases > COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice announces West Virginia to receive further increase in vaccine supply through pharmacy partnership

COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice announces West Virginia to receive further increase in vaccine supply through pharmacy partnership

2/10/2021

CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice joined West Virginia health leaders and other officials today for his latest daily press briefing regarding the State’s COVID-19 response.

INCREASE IN VACCINE ALLOCATION During today’s briefing, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia will receive more vaccine doses than originally expected through the Federal Pharmacy Program, and will be able to offer even more COVID-19 vaccinations to West Virginians age 65 and older, as well as members of the state’s critical healthcare workforce. On Monday, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia had partnered with Walgreens through the federal program and that Walgreens pharmacies across the state would soon begin receiving an initial allocation of up to 5,800 vaccine doses per week. However, on Wednesday, Gov. Justice announced that the projected allocation through the new partnership has been increased to 7,300 doses per week. A total of 73 Walgreens locations across West Virginia are set to receive 100 doses each for distribution. Appointments are required. All appointments are going through the West Virginia COVID-19 Vaccine Registration System. West Virginians are urged to pre-register online or by calling the COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line (1-833-734-0965) to get help pre-registering. The Governor also added that, yesterday, he and members of West Virginia’s pandemic response leadership team were informed that President Joe Biden’s administration is committed to delivering more vaccines to all states. “It’s looking like, soon, West Virginia will be getting more vaccines from the federal government, and when we do, we are ready,” Gov. Justice said. “We continue to bombard them with information on how well we’re doing with our vaccine distribution in West Virginia, and we continue to bombard them with requests for more and more vaccines.”

GOVERNOR WARNS OF DANGEROUS ONLINE VACCINE SALES Additionally Wednesday, Gov. Justice warned residents that the West Virginia Fusion Center recently discovered the unauthorized sale of COVID-19 vaccines on various websites. “You should not attempt to purchase a vaccine online,” Gov. Justice said. “Vaccines are not authorized for sale through any marketplace and should be reported to the COVID hotline or to law enforcement. “Please do not buy anything claiming to be the COVID vaccine from the internet,” Gov. Justice continued. “If you buy something online, who knows what it could be. It could be a vial of water. It could be something else that you could get in trouble with. It’s just not worth it.”

VACCINE DISTRIBUTION UPDATE Also on Wednesday, Gov. Justice reported that West Virginia remains among the national leaders in the rate of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration. As of Wednesday morning, 6.2 percent of West Virginia's entire population has received both doses of the vaccines. West Virginia has the highest rate of fully vaccinated residents of any state in the nation, with only two other states completing vaccinations on at least 5 percent of their residents so far.

According to the latest vaccine numbers posted to the COVID-19 Dashboard (Click "Vaccine Summary" tab), West Virginia now boasts a first dose administration rate of 94.9 percent and a second dose administration rate of 77.2 percent. To date, West Virginia has administered 223,850 first doses and 111,457 second doses, totaling 335,307 doses administered overall statewide.

Gov. Justice reminded West Virginians that free COVID-19 vaccination clinics are being held in all 55 counties across the state once again this week through operation “Save Our Wisdom.” The clinics are available for West Virginians who are 65 years of age and older. Residents from any county in West Virginia may access an appointment at any of the vaccination clinics listed, regardless of their county of residence. To date, 115,327 West Virginians age 65 and older have chosen to be vaccinated, including 46,184 who are now fully vaccinated.

Each clinic location has its own, unique schedule. Visit vaccinate.wv.gov to view all clinic sites and schedules. Names are being pulled from the West Virginia COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration system to fill out appointments after waitlists are exhausted. All clinics require appointments and walk-ins will not be accepted. West Virginians age 16 and older are urged to pre-register online or call the COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line (1-833-734-0965) to get help pre-registering. West Virginia was the first state in the nation to put a statewide vaccination pre-registration system in place. The new digital tool allows West Virginians to add themselves to a list of people who are interested in being vaccinated, and will notify those who sign up about the availability of vaccine doses to help streamline vaccination efforts. To date, more than 229,000 West Virginians have signed up to be added to the pre-registration list. Pre-registering in the system does not automatically grant users access to a vaccine appointment. Rather, users will receive a message from the system when there is a vaccine available. When that occurs, users will be notified by text, email, or phone call to set up an appointment.

COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS UPDATE Additionally Wednesday, Gov. Justice reported that the current number of active cases in the state is now 14,076, down from 15,557 as of the Governor’s previous COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday. The number of daily active cases in West Virginia has now decreased for 25 straight days. Meanwhile, the number of active hospitalizations is now 362, down from 375 on Wednesday, with 97 of those patients currently in the ICU. This marks the first time since Nov. 11, 2020, that the number of COVID patients in ICUs across the state dropped under 100. The cumulative percent of positive cases remains 5.60 percent. Click here to view the latest COVID-19 data

WEDNESDAY MAP UPDATE Also on Wednesday, Gov. Justice provided a look at West Virginia’s latest mid-week County Alert System map update. The map is updated live on the DHHR’s COVID-19 Dashboard (Click "County Alert System" tab) throughout the week. Red counties: 3 Orange counties: 23 Gold counties: 12 Yellow counties: 10 Green counties: 7

DHHR’s COVID-19 Dashboard (Click "County Alert System" tab)

OUTBREAK REPORT Additionally Wednesday, Gov. Justice reported that there is now just one church-related outbreak in all of West Virginia. The outbreak is in Fayette County and accounts for six cases, down from 14 such church-related cases on Wednesday. There are now 42 outbreaks in long-term care facilities across the state, down from 45 such outbreaks on Wednesday. The Governor also reported that there are now 52 inmate cases across the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) system, up from 50 on Wednesday. The inmate cases include 29 at Southern Regional Jail and 16 at North Central Regional Jail. Meanwhile, there are now 15 active staff cases across the DCR system, down from 22 as of Wednesday. To view the latest DCR case update, click here.

AGGRESSIVE TESTING CONTINUES ACROSS STATE Also on Wednesday, Gov. Justice provided an overview of the 51 counties across the state that have free testing events scheduled through the Governor’s Aggressive Testing initiative. This 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. Click here to view all locations, dates, times, and more details

An interactive online map of all free testing locations across West Virginia is available on the state’s COVID-19 website. Users can filter the map by type of testing site, including daily testing events, recurring testing events, as well as Walgreens and Fruth Pharmacy testing locations. Users can also filter 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

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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