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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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WEST VIRGINIA DAY CELEBRATION SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 20
During Thursday’s briefing, Gov. Justice provided a reminder of his recent announcement that all West Virginians are invited to the State Capitol Complex in Charleston this Sunday, June 20, 2021, for a day of fun in celebration of West Virginia’s 158th birthday and to watch the first prize giveaway of the “Do it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your life” vaccination lottery.
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Prior to the main ceremony, a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be held on Kanawha Boulevard, in front of the West Virginia Capitol Building, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. No appointment is necessary, however, attendees must bring a valid state-issued West Virginia driver’s license or identification card along with a recent utility bill that includes a West Virginia address. The Pfizer and one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available.
Throughout the day, food will be available to purchase at multiple food trucks and vendors. A West Virginia-themed airstream designed by the State Department of Tourism will also be on-site.
The main ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Plaza on the south side of the Capitol Building. During an address, Gov. Justice will announce the conclusion of the Statewide Indoor Face Covering Requirement in West Virginia.
From there, the Governor will announce the “Do it for Babydog” vaccination lottery’s first million-dollar prize winner, along with the winners of dozens more prizes.
Babydog, the official mascot of the vaccination lottery, will be on-hand for the event, providing West Virginians in attendance a chance to meet the Governor’s famous pooch.
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Following the main ceremony, Gov. Justice will join West Virginia native and hero Hershel “Woody” Williams – the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient – for a dedication ceremony at the new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument on the Capitol Complex.
Gov. Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice will continue the celebration of West Virginia’s 158th birthday at the State Culture Center, where the Governor and First Lady will renew the annual tradition of cutting the ceremonial State birthday cake.
Several additional West Virginia Day festivities will occur throughout the day. Click here to read more.
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“DO IT FOR BABYDOG: SAVE A LIFE, CHANGE YOUR LIFE” VACCINATION SWEEPSTAKES
While the registration deadline to be eligible to win in the first prize drawing on Sunday has passed, all vaccinated West Virginians are still able and encouraged to register online for the Governor’s “Do it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your life” vaccination lottery. Additional prize drawings will be held every week through August 4.
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Weekly prize giveaways for vaccinated West Virginians ages 18 and older include one cash prize of $1 million, two brand new custom-outfitted trucks, 25 weekend getaways to West Virginia State Parks, five lifetime hunting licenses, five lifetime fishing licenses, five custom hunting rifles, and five custom hunting shotguns. Additionally, two full four-year scholarships to any public institution in the state will also be given away each week to vaccinated West Virginians ages 12-25.
The final drawing will also include a $1.588 million grand prize and a $588,000 second prize.
Over 246,000 West Virginians have registered for the sweepstakes to date. All West Virginians ages 12 and older who have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to register by visiting Doitforbabydog.wv.gov.
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REGISTRATION FOR $100 SAVINGS BOND OR $100 GIFT CARD CLOSES SUNDAY NIGHT
Also on Thursday, Gov. Justice announced that online registration for his “Beat 588...Bad” West Virginia Strong Vaccine Incentive Program is set to close Sunday, June 20, at 11:59 p.m.
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All West Virginians ages 16-35 who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are able to register online to receive their choice of either a $100 savings bond or a $100 gift card.
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VACCINE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
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.
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At the direction of Gov. Justice, West Virginia continues to expand vaccine access in innovative new ways, including setting up vaccination sites at several high-traffic locations across the state, offering vaccines through senior organizations, collaborating with hospitals and healthcare facilities to vaccinate patients, communicating vaccination information with younger West Virginians through social media and streaming services, and much more.
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 VACCINATION RATES CONTINUE TO CLIMB
Also on Thursday, Gov. Justice announced that, according to the latest vaccination data, 61.5% of all West Virginians who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine have now received at least one dose. To date, 958,499 of 1,557,837 vaccine-eligible West Virginians have received their first shot.
Additionally, over 77% of West Virginians ages 50 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and over 85% of West Virginians ages 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
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FACE COVERING REQUIREMENT LIFTED FOR FULLY VACCINATED WEST VIRGINIANS ONLY
Gov. Justice recently modified West Virginia’s Statewide Indoor Face Covering Requirement to align with updated CDC guidance, which says that anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, regardless of crowd size.
The lifting of the face covering requirement only applies to those who have been fully vaccinated; meaning that at least two weeks have elapsed since the administration of a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or that at least two weeks have elapsed since the administration of a first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Statewide Indoor Face Covering Requirement is still in effect for all West Virginians who are not yet fully vaccinated, and will remain in effect for these individuals until June 20, 2021.
Face coverings must still be worn where required by federal law. Additionally, any private business or school system can still require individuals to wear a face covering.
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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 Thursday, Gov. Justice reported that there remain four active church-related outbreaks in West Virginia. The active outbreaks are located in Monroe, Nicholas, and Pendleton counties and account for a total of 47 cases.
Additionally, there are now three active outbreaks in long-term care facilities across the state, down from six such outbreaks as of the Governor’s previous COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday.
The Governor also reported that there remains one active inmate case across the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) system. Meanwhile, there are now seven active staff cases across the DCR system, up from six such cases on Tuesday. To view the latest DCR case update, click here.
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COVID-19 TESTING STILL AVAILABLE ACROSS STATE
Also on Thursday, Gov. Justice provided an overview of the 51 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 TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION
Additionally, Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 to announce that tomorrow he will be calling a Special Session of the West Virginia Legislature for next Thursday, June 24, 2021, at noon.
“I am calling them back in to appropriate another $250 million in budget surplus money before the end of the fiscal year on June 30,” Gov. Justice said. “We have done great in our state. We have a tremendous surplus and we absolutely want to put that to good use to benefit us going forward on a lot of wonderful projects.”
The proclamation, formally calling for the West Virginia Legislature to convene in Special Session, along with a list of funding recommendations, will be issued Friday, June 19.
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GOV. JUSTICE DECLARES JUNETEENTH AS STATE HOLIDAY IN WEST VIRGINIA
Following Thursday's COVID-19 press briefing, Gov. Justice held a separate briefing, during which, he signed a proclamation, officially declaring Juneteenth as a State holiday in West Virginia.
Click here to view proclamation
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Juneteenth, which is held on June 19 each year, celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States.
This year, June 19 falls on a Saturday. As a result, Friday, June 18, 2021, will be recognized as a full-day holiday for all public employees of the State.
Click here to read more
The Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs is holding a virtual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 19. The event will stream live on the HHOMA Facebook page at 5 p.m. and air on West Virginia Public Broadcasting at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Headlining the event will be Montell Jordan, the former R&B singer best known for “This is How We Do It” before leaving the music industry to become a pastor. The program will also feature musicians, dancers, and poets from West Virginia. Click here to learn 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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