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WV National Guard to complete mission providing staffing support for hospitals by March 11
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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 and vaccine distribution efforts.
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GOV. JUSTICE: “IT’S STARTING TO FEEL LIKE WE ARE REALLY, REALLY GETTING OUT OF THIS”
During Wednesday’s briefing, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia’s number of active COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, ICU patients, and patients on ventilators all continue to decline across the board.
“We don’t want to completely drop our guard by any stretch, but it’s starting to feel like we are really, really getting out of this,” Gov. Justice said. “The sun is starting to shine on us.”
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There are now just 2,143 active cases of COVID-19 statewide; the lowest daily active case total since July 29, 2021. Over just the past five weeks, total active cases have decreased by more than 90%.
COVID-19 Dashboard | Coronavirus.wv.gov
Since nearing peak capacity in early February, West Virginia’s hospitals have seen the number of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 cut in half.
Overall hospitalizations are down 56% since the most recent peak, while ICU patients are down 48% and patients on ventilators are down 54% in the same timeframe.
The Governor announced that, as a result of the decreased strain on the state’s healthcare systems, the West Virginia National Guard will be completing its mission of providing additional staffing support at hospitals throughout the state on March 11.
The West Virginia County Alert Map continues to reflect the state’s significantly improved numbers:
Red (0) | Orange (0) | Gold (0) | Yellow (5) | Green (50)
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Still, after reading the ages and locations of another 73 individuals who have passed away from COVID-19 since Friday last week, Gov. Justice continued to urge West Virginians to get vaccinated and boosted.
Initial series vaccinations are available for free for all West Virginians ages 5 and older and booster shots are authorized and encouraged for all West Virginians ages 12 and older. Read more about vaccines and boosters at Vaccinate.wv.gov and at CDC.gov.
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GOVERNOR ON STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: “I WISH PRESIDENT BIDEN WOULD HAVE COME OUT AND SAID OUR NATION NEEDS TO BE ENERGY INDEPENDENT”
Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 to review President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address last evening.
“President Biden, I thought, did a pretty decent job in his delivery, but the substance was not very good,” Gov. Justice said. “I wish President Biden would have come out and said our nation needs to be energy independent.
“I’ve said it over and over, if you go back through all the civilizations of time, civilization only progresses with cheap, abundant energy,” Gov. Justice continued. “Energy drives the day. That’s all there is to it. We were on our way to being energy independent under President Trump.
“Our nation has the spotlight of the world on us. We’ve got to be energy independent. If President Biden would have come out and said, considering what's on the table, we’re going to open this thing up, we’re going to build Keystone and all of our pipelines here, we’re going to open up drilling, you would have stopped this war right in its tracks.”
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GOV. JUSTICE: FEBRUARY BRINGS MORE RECORD REVENUE SURPLUSES
Gov. Justice also took time to review his announcement yesterday that West Virginia’s General Revenue collections for February 2022 came in $59.2 million above estimate; the highest February surplus ever recorded in state history.
Eight months through Fiscal Year 2022, year-to-date collections are $589.9 million above the YTD estimate; breaking the all-time record for total surplus through the month of February.
“It’s hard to get tired of winning,” Gov. Justice said. “We have surpluses that are totally beyond belief – even in the shortest month of the year.
“We’ve changed West Virginia from being that place that everyone looks down on to now a place where people are thinking, ‘What is going on in West Virginia?’ We truly are the diamond in the rough that everyone missed,” Gov. Justice added.
Click here to read more
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WEST VIRGINIA BREAKS RECORD FOR LOWEST-EVER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR 4TH MONTH IN A ROW
Gov. Justice also reviewed his announcement yesterday that West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 4.1% for January 2022; breaking the all-time record for the lowest unemployment rate recorded in state history for the 4th consecutive month.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has now decreased for 21 straight months.
“It’s just been one record right after another,” Gov. Justice said. “We’re really proud of all the folks that are putting in all the licks to make all this happen.
“I’ve said from the beginning that I’m going to take you on a rocket ship ride and, my goodness, are we on a real rocket ship ride now,” Gov. Justice continued. “And we’ve got so many opportunities to do so much more good as we go forward. We’re going to continue to do that. We’re not going to stop until we’ve flipped every single rock.”
Click here to read more
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GOV. JUSTICE OFFERS PRAYERS AFTER FIRE AT WV SCHOOLS FOR THE DEAF AND BLIND
Additionally, Gov. Justice took time to offer his prayers for the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind after a major fire destroyed the Administration Building on Saturday.
Students were not on campus at the time of the fire. They were home for the weekend. However, although the building was unoccupied, it did house technology equipment, including internet, telephones, surveillance equipment, and other utilities.
“This was heartbreaking beyond belief,” Gov. Justice said. “Thank God the students weren’t on-campus, but the psychological impact of something like this is really tough, and we need to recognize that.”
Immediately after hearing about the fire, Gov. Justice contacted West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch to offer his full support. The Governor also requested that Frontier prioritize the school’s needs to restore services.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating the fire with help from the United States ATF.
“We’re absolutely going to rebuild,” Gov. Justice said. “To the folks in the area, the Town of Romney, this is a very important school. To the students, the faculty, you’ve got to know we’re with you. We’ll get through this.”
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GOVERNOR, FIRST LADY JUSTICE RELEASE BOOK-READINGS FOR “READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY”
Gov. Justice also announced that both he and First Lady Cathy Justice released a video book-reading yesterday to all West Virginia schools in celebration of Read Across America Day.
National Read Across America Day is held each year on March 2 – the birthday of beloved children’s book author, Dr. Seuss. The day was established by the National Education Association in 1998 to get kids excited about reading.
For his book-reading, the Governor chose “Take Me Home, Country Roads” – a children’s book adapted from the John Denver song of the same name and illustrated by Christopher Canyon.
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For her book-reading, the First Lady chose “Love is all around West Virginia” – a children’s book written by Wendi Silvano and illustrated by Joanna Czernichowska.
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School teachers across West Virginia are encouraged to join the celebration by reading to their students.
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GOV. JUSTICE BANS SALE OF RUSSIAN PRODUCED LIQUOR
Gov. Justice also reviewed his announcement from Monday that he has signed an Executive Order, directing the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration to cease the purchase and sale of all Russian produced liquor until further notice.
The Governor also directed the WVABCA Commissioner to order and make Ukrainian made liquor brands available for purchase by licensed retail liquor outlets depending on their availability.
The Governor also requested that the West Virginia Retailers Association remove Russian liquor from their shelves and not sell the products until further notice.
Click here to read more & view Executive Order
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