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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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CASE NUMBERS & VACCINE/BOOSTER INFO
On Friday, Gov. Justice reported that there are now 1,658 active cases of COVID-19 statewide; up by 315 cases since his previous briefing on Monday.
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.
"You've gotta get your boosters and vaccinations and then go live your life," said Gov. Justice. "We know this is manageable now and we really need to take advantage of that."
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 (20) | Green (35)
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During Friday’s briefing, Gov. Justice and West Virginia Joint Interagency Task Force Director Jim Hoyer once again urged all West Virginians to use the state’s new Vaccine Calculator to check if they’re up-to-date on their shots.
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"Our Vaccine Calculator is now at over 220,000 people have completed the calculations. This week alone, more than 20,000 people used the vaccine calculator," said Director Hoyer. "We have some updates that are now on the calculator for healthcare providers."
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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 are recommended for all West Virginians 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 get a second booster 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.
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GOV. JUSTICE RECOGNIZES CHILDREN OF FALLEN PATRIOTS DAY
Gov. Justice also announced that he has issued a proclamation, officially designating Friday as Children of Fallen Patriots Day in West Virginia.
May 13 is recognized across America as a date of appreciation for children who have lost a parent in service to our country.
"There are tens of thousands of children across this great nation who are children who have lost a parent or loved one in the line of duty," said Gov. Justice. "I can’t fathom and I’ll never say I know what they’re going through."
The Governor was joined on the briefing by Department of Veterans Assistance Secretary Ted Diaz.
"In the last 40 years, more than 20,000 children lost a parent in the line of duty and many more have lost parents to the wounds that have incurred in the war after they returned," said Secretary Diaz. "My department has worked with several of these children through our War Orphan Education Program that provides tuition assistance and tuition-free education at our State colleges and universities. We’ll continue to do everything we can to help support the children of our fallen brothers and sisters in arms."
Click here to view proclamation
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GOV. JUSTICE ANNOUNCES PEIA SALARY TIER BOOST AHEAD OF PAY RAISE
Gov. Justice, who has vowed not to increase Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) State Fund premiums during his term, announced the PEIA will raise its salary tiers by $2,700. This change is the result of across-the-board pay raises slated for state employees at the start of the new fiscal year following passage of the budget during the 2022 Legislative Session.
The salary tier increases will become effective August 1, 2022.
Click here to read the release
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DO IT FOR BABYDOG SR. CENTER EDITION: GOV. JUSTICE PRESENTS $100,000 CHECK TO LINCOLN COUNTY SENIORS
Gov. Justice also took time to recap a celebration he hosted Thursday at Hamlin Senior Center, where he and Babydog presented a $100,000 check to Lincoln County seniors as grand prize winners in the Senior Center Edition of the Do it for Babydog vaccination sweepstakes.
"It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to get out and give away the monies for the winners," said Gov. Justice. "Those people, they pushed really hard. As far as their numbers of folks they got vaccinated in their booster clinics was off the charts."
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As part of the Governor’s push to encourage West Virginians ages 50 and older to get their booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a series of booster shot clinics were organized at senior centers across the state.
Do it for Babydog: Senior Center Edition offered a $100,000 grand prize and a visit from Gov. Justice and Babydog to four senior centers across the state that best took advantage of the clinics to get the highest rate of their county’s seniors boosted.
Lincoln County boosted the most seniors per capita of any county in West Virginia during the promotion.
Click here to read more
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FIRST LADY CATHY JUSTICE INDUCTED INTO JUNE HARLESS HALL OF FAME
Additionally, Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 to offer his congratulations to First Lady Cathy Justice, who was inducted into the June Harless Hall of Fame at Marshall University on Thursday.
"I've said it over and over but Cathy has taken Communities In Schools along as her real project and she is so committed and its amazing what they’ve done," said Gov. Justice. "Cathy is the real deal, she’s a really good person. It was a great night, it’s an incredible organization."
Each year the June Harless Center recognizes people who have been identified as outstanding contributors to West Virginia’s educational system with special focus on the rural areas of the state.
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In 2018, First Lady Justice started the Communities In Schools program in three pilot counties. Communities In Schools aims to forge community partnerships and bring resources into schools to help remove barriers to student learning with a goal of keeping all students in school and ultimately graduating. Since launching, the program has expanded to include 171 schools in 31 counties.
The First Lady has also spearheaded education-related initiatives such as the Friends With Paws therapy dog program, the First Lady Student Artist Series, and Kids Connect – which provided WiFi to students while school facilities were closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click here to read more
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