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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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“DO IT FOR BABYDOG” VACCINATION SWEEPSTAKES: SECOND ROUND OF PRIZE WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY
During his briefing, Gov. Justice offered a reminder that the second round of prize winners through the “Do it for Babydog” Vaccination Sweepstakes will be announced tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30.
Prize giveaways will 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 for vaccinated West Virginians ages 18 and older. Two full four-year scholarships to any public institution in the state will also be given away to vaccinated West Virginians ages 12-25.
Over 313,000 West Virginians have registered for the sweepstakes to date.
While the registration deadline to be eligible to win in the June 30 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.
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“Absolutely, we want you signed up,” Gov. Justice said. “Your odds of winning are phenomenal compared to winning the general lottery.
“All I'm trying to do is to continue to encourage you in every way to get vaccinated,” Gov. Justice continued. “By not doing so, you are running such a risk it is unbelievable.”
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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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PFIZER AND MODERNA VACCINES REPORTED TO BE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST DELTA VARIANT
Also, Gov. Justice passed along Moderna’s announcement today that their COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the COVID variants, including the Delta variant.
Last week, Pfizer announced that their vaccine is also highly effective against the Delta variant of COVID-19.
“The Delta variant is the one that’s scaring us to death, so this is more and more good news for the people that are vaccinated,” Gov. Justice said. “If you’re not vaccinated, what are you going to do? More and more places are opening up, and COVID is all around. If you’re not vaccinated, what are the chances of you ending up with this? In all honesty, it’s too big of a chance for me. That’s why I’m vaccinated. I think it’s too big of a chance for you too.”
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VACCINE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
COVID-19 vaccinations are now 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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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 now zero active outbreaks in churches and four active outbreaks in long-term care facilities across the state.
Meanwhile, there is now one active inmate case and four active staff cases 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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GOVERNOR SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER
Additionally Tuesday, Gov. Justice signed Executive Order 21-21, which amends Executive Order 2-18, dated Jan. 10, 2018, relating to a Regulatory Moratorium.
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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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