|
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 and vaccine distribution efforts.
|
|
CASE NUMBERS & VACCINE/BOOSTER INFO
On Monday, Gov. Justice reported that there are now 1,343 active cases of COVID-19 statewide; up by 229 cases since his previous briefing on Friday last week.
Over the past month, the number of active cases in the state has more than tripled. The number of hospitalizations, patients in ICUs, and patients on ventilators have all leveled out in the same timeframe.
COVID-19 Dashboard | Coronavirus.wv.gov
An updated breakdown of the West Virginia County Alert Map is as follows:
Red (0) | Orange (0) | Gold (0) | Yellow (15) | Green (40)
|
|
|
During Monday’s briefing, Gov. Justice and State Coronavirus Czar Dr. Clay Marsh urged all West Virginians to use the state’s new Vaccine Calculator to check if they’re up-to-date on their shots.
|
|
“We continue to closely monitor COVID-19 in West Virginia and in the U.S., and we also try to look around the world to understand what risks might be coming to us. We see in the U.S. right now that we’ve about doubled the average number of COVID cases per day, and that is at the same time that we are seeing the BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 variants growing in the U.S.,” Dr. Marsh said. “As we look at our hospitalizations, we see about 1,000 more hospitalized people in the United States in April than we did in March. But we are also cognizant that, as immunity starts to be reduced because of the time from the last vaccine, or if people have not been fully vaccinated, the result is a reducing amount of protection over time, which makes it really important for people to know when your next shot is needed.”
“So it’s really important, particularly for older people in West Virginia, to use the Vaccine Calculator and make sure you’re staying up-to-date on your shots to protect yourself because, as we see, even though COVID is often not as severe as it was during previous surges, we’re still seeing a lot of activity and we still worry that the most vulnerable parts of our population could be at high risk of still having severe disease, hospitalization, and even dying, as our country approaches our one millionth death from COVID-19,” Dr. Marsh added.
|
|
“We know at this point that this is something that isn’t going away completely any time soon, but it is something that we can manage,” Gov. Justice said.
“This is something that we can live with. We can go about our business and we can have all the fun in life and do everything we want to do, and we can do it without being sick or in the hospital. We can avoid that by getting our vaccines.”
All West Virginians ages 5 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. After the primary series, first booster shots are recommended for those ages 12 and older.
Second booster shots have now been authorized by the FDA and recommended by the CDC for those ages 50 and over who are also at least four months removed from their first booster dose, as well as certain younger immunocompromised individuals ages 12 and older.
All West Virginians who qualify can immediately get this dose anywhere vaccines are available.
The state’s new COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator has been updated to determine whether people are eligible for a second booster dose.
Read more about vaccines at Vaccinate.wv.gov and at CDC.gov.
|
|
GOV. JUSTICE TOURS HUNTINGTON FLOOD DAMAGE, URGES RESIDENTS TO REPORT STORM DAMAGES
Also on Monday, Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 to recap his trip to Huntington earlier in the day, where he met with Huntington Mayor Steve Williams and other state and local officials to survey several locations damaged by flooding late last week.
After personally touring residential areas impacted by the flooding, Gov. Justice held a press conference at Ritter Park, where he committed to putting every resource at his disposal toward developing a solution to mitigate future flooding risks in the area.
“It’s really significant just how badly this needs to be fixed,” Gov. Justice said. “People’s lives are in danger. They’re losing their possessions. With how we’re doing in West Virginia, if there were ever a time to work toward a solution, it’s right now. We all need to pull the rope together to repair as much as we can and try to prevent this from happening ever again.”
Possibilities being considered include a type of flood structure to help with flooding from Fourpole Creek and replacing an aging pumping station.
Click here to read more about Monday’s event
|
|
Gov. Justice announced Saturday that he had officially declared a State of Emergency for Cabell County – which includes Huntington – as well as for Putnam and Roane counties due to significant local flooding. This authorizes the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WVEMD) to use all State resources necessary to support local counties in their response.
The WVEMD is now asking all residents of Cabell, Putnam, or Roane counties who have damages due to the recent storms to document and report the damages using an online damage assessment tool. Reporting these damages is not an application for financial assistance, but the information will be used to help determine eligibility for requesting federal assistance from agencies like FEMA or the SBA.
|
|
GOVERNOR ORDERS FLAGS TO HALF-STAFF IN HONOR OF VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER JOHN FORBUSH
Additionally Monday, Gov. Justice announced that he has issued a proclamation, ordering that all United States and West Virginia flags at the Capitol Complex in Charleston and all state-owned facilities in Braxton County be displayed at half-staff from dawn to dusk tomorrow – Tuesday, May 10, 2022 – the day of services celebrating the distinguished life and service of Gassaway Volunteer Firefighter John D. Forbush.
Forbush died on Sunday, May 1, heroically attempting to save a woman and child who were trapped in a vehicle submerged in the Elk River near Sutton. Forbush was unable to free them and also lost his life in the rescue effort. He was 24 years old.
“I can’t tell you enough about how great our first responders like John are and how much they give,” Gov. Justice said. “It’s a great honor to be able to do this for him and his family.”
Click here to read more
|
|
GOV. JUSTICE ISSUES SEVERAL PROCLAMATIONS RELATED TO HEALTHCARE
Finally on Monday, Gov. Justice announced that he has signed several proclamations related to healthcare in various ways.
First, the Governor announced that tomorrow – May 10, 2022 – is the first ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The event is part of a national push to raise public awareness about illicit fentanyl mixed with street drugs and in counterfeit pills.
“Fentanyl is involved in more deaths of Americans under age 50 than any other cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, and all other accidents,” Gov. Justice said. “We’ve got to do something about it. We’ve got to raise more awareness. This won’t be the be-all and end-all by any stretch of the imagination. But it is one more step to try to help.”
Second, the Governor announced that this week – May 8-14, 2022 – is National Prevention Week, which is a national public education platform for communities and organizations to raise awareness on the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health.
Thirdly, the Governor announced that this week is also National Hospital Week. This marks an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the many community contributions made by hospitals and hospital-based clinicians, caregivers, and support staff. (Click for more info via WVHA)
“Our hospitals have been pushed to the brink over and over throughout the pandemic,” Gov. Justice said. “Take time to thank all those that have looked after us over the past two years. They ran to the fire. They treated millions across this country. How many lives did they save? These people are great beyond belief, and our hospitals are the lifeblood of our communities.”
|
|
|
|