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Gov. Justice: “You’ve got a choice. You’re either in the Babydog lottery or the death lottery.”
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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 ONCE AGAIN URGES ALL WEST VIRGINIANS TO GET VACCINATED AND REGISTER FOR THE “DO IT FOR BABYDOG” SWEEPSTAKES
During Tuesday’s briefing, Gov. Justice once again called on all West Virginians who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 to step up and get their shot.
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“We’re begging you to go get vaccinated,” Gov. Justice said. “If you get vaccinated, all you have to do is register for our ‘Do it for Babydog’ sweepstakes and you’re in the drawing for some great prizes. We gave away a lot of incredible stuff on our State’s birthday Sunday. There was a lady that won $1 million, there were a couple beautiful trucks that we gave away, a couple of kids got four-year scholarships, and we gave away all kinds of other stuff. It was just great. And, if you get vaccinated, you could be the next big winner in one of our upcoming drawings.”
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Vaccinated West Virginians have six more chances to win in the “Do it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your life” vaccination sweepstakes.
Weekly 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. 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.
All West Virginians who have received at least one dose of any of the COVID-19 vaccines are encouraged to register at DoitforBabydog.wv.gov to join the list of winners. Online registration to be eligible to win in the next prize drawing will remain open until Sunday, June 27, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Winners will be announced next Wednesday, June 30.
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Additional drawings will be held every Wednesday through August 4. The final drawing will also include a $1.588 million grand prize and a $588,000 second prize.
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“But for those that aren’t vaccinated, do you realize that you’re in a drawing too? You’re in a drawing that’s life or death,” Gov. Justice said. “Every day when I do these briefings, I read a list of people that have died.
“So you’ve got a choice. You’re either in the Babydog lottery or the death lottery,” Gov. Justice continued. “Please get in the Babydog lottery with all of us. Don't be in the lottery where we’re reading your name at one of these briefings.”
The Governor added that all West Virginians who have received one dose of the 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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WEST VIRGINIA DAY CELEBRATION: GOV. JUSTICE ANNOUNCES FIRST SWEEPSTAKES WINNERS, LIFTS MASK MANDATE
Gov. Justice also took time to recap all of the festivities that were a part of West Virginia’s 158th birthday celebration on Sunday, June 20.
The Governor kicked things off with an address from the south steps of the State Capitol Building. He was joined by First Lady Cathy Justice and Babydog – their pet English Bulldog and the mascot of the “Do it for Babydog” vaccination sweepstakes – to announce the winners of dozens of prizes, including the program’s first ever million-dollar winner.
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Karen Foley of Mineral Wells was named as the winner of the $1 million cash prize.
Melissa Spivy of Vienna and Ralph Paugh of Parkersburg were named as the winners of two brand new custom-outfitted trucks.
Rebecca Osborne of Hurricane and Elizabeth Ball of Nitro were named as the winners of two full four-year scholarships to any public institution in the state.
Click here to view the full list of prize winners
In addition to the prize giveaways, this year’s West Virginia Day doubled as a celebration of the State’s success in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Justice announced during his address Sunday that he has signed an executive order, officially lifting West Virginia’s Statewide Indoor Face Covering Requirement.
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Private businesses, school systems, hospitals and nursing facilities, including the state health facilities under DHHR’s umbrella, may continue to require individuals to wear a face covering. Additionally, face coverings must still be worn where required by federal law.
Gov. Justice also joined West Virginia Department of Administration Secretary Allan McVey in celebrating the completion of renovations to the gold dome atop the Capitol Building, presenting Honorary West Virginian Awards to restorationists who worked on the project.
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From there, Gov. Justice joined West Virginia native and hero Hershel “Woody” Williams – the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient – and several of West Virginia’s Gold Star mothers and families for a dedication ceremony at the new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument on the Capitol Complex.
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Lastly, the Governor and First Lady Justice made their way to the State Culture Center, where they renewed the annual tradition of cutting the ceremonial State birthday cake and held an award ceremony for the First Lady’s “Student Artist Series: Renaming West Virginia Essay Contest” winners.
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“We had a great day Sunday, that’s all there is to it,” Gov. Justice said. “I thank everyone who came to Charleston to join in on the fun, and I congratulate you, West Virginia, on 158 great years.”
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WEST VIRGINIA VACCINATION RATES CONTINUE TO CLIMB
Additionally Tuesday, Gov. Justice announced that, according to the latest vaccination data, 62.4% of all West Virginians who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine have now received at least one dose. To date, 972,662 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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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.
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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, per the West Virginia Department of Heath and Human Resources, there have been no official COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, nursing homes, or congregate settings since June 11.
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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 HONORS 2016 FLOOD VICTIMS AHEAD OF FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Additionally Tuesday – one day ahead of the five-year anniversary of the deadly June 23, 2016, West Virginia floods – Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 to pay tribute to the 23 West Virginians who lost their lives and the thousands of people who lost everything they had in the tragedy.
“I’ll never forget how we looked for bodies; how we waded the mud,” Gov. Justice said. “We saw family after family take all their memories, all their prized possessions – everything – and they were just piling them up in front of their houses. It was terrible. Just plain terrible. I ask you to remember and join me and Cathy in praying for all those that we lost and all those families that were impacted.”
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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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