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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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OVER 6,400 WEST VIRGINIANS GET FIRST DOSE WITHIN PAST MONTH
During Friday’s briefing, Gov. Justice and West Virginia Joint Interagency Task Force on Director Jim Hoyer announced that 6,481 West Virginians opted to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine just within the past month.
“These people took time to get educated on the value of the vaccine and they went out and got it,” Hoyer said. “It’s a big reason why the Governor continues to press his efforts to educate people.”
“It’s never too late to make a decision that could save your life,” Gov. Justice said. “Out of these thousands of people, who knows how many lives we might save. It could be one. It could be 60. But what we do know is that every life is worth saving.”
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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 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.
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Gov. Justice went on to report Friday that there are now 1,114 active cases of COVID-19 statewide; up by 302 cases since his previous briefing on Tuesday.
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 (7) | Green (48)
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GOV. JUSTICE DECLARES STATE OF PREPAREDNESS FOR ALL 55 COUNTIES AHEAD OF POTENTIAL FLOODING
Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 to announce that he has declared a State of Preparedness for all 55 counties throughout West Virginia due to the threat of flooding this weekend.
The main threat will be possible isolated flash flooding due to heavy downpours or steady rain, with storms forecast for much of the state today and throughout the weekend.
The Governor’s declaration directs the State Emergency Operations Center and its partner agencies to prepare to respond ahead of this significant rainfall event, posturing personnel and resources to mobilize a response to any emergency that may develop.
“We expect there to be the possibility of flooding in some areas, so I urge everyone to be really, really careful,” Gov. Justice said.
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GOV. JUSTICE ANNOUNCES NUCOR GRANTED AIR PERMIT
Gov. Justice also announced that yesterday the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has granted Nucor Corporation an Air Permit for their new facility in Mason County.
In January, Gov. Justice announced that Nucor would be investing $2.7 billion into this state-of-the-art sheet steel mill – making it the largest in West Virginia history, as well as the largest single investment Nucor has ever made.
“This incredible facility is going to bring an unbelievable amount of jobs and goodness to our state, so I’m excited that we were able to get this process done quickly,” Gov. Justice said. “We don’t have to be like every other state in the country where it takes forever and a day to get anything done. We get stuff done in West Virginia and we do it right.
“I thank all those at Nucor for working with our DEP, and I thank our DEP for working diligently and thoroughly to get this done.”
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GOVERNOR PLEDGES WEST VIRGINIA’S FULL SUPPORT FOR PROPOSED HARMONY GROVE I-79 INTERCHANGE PROJECT
Additionally Friday, Gov. Justice announced that he is pledging the State of West Virginia’s full support for a proposed project to construct a new interchange off of Interstate 79 in the Harmony Grove area near Morgantown.
The interchange would serve the new Morgantown Industrial Park and other businesses and homes in the Harmony Grove area of Monongalia County, just south of Westover.
“I really believe we can get this done. It will only make things better,” Gov. Justice said. “We know that Morgantown is growing like crazy and it is the perfect area for us to build more and more opportunities, so I’m fully supportive of this project.”
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GOV. JUSTICE JOINS CONGRESSMAN MCKINLEY TO ANNOUNCE VELOXINT MOVING TO NORTHERN PANHANDLE; EXPECTED TO CREATE 200-300 NEW JOBS
Gov. Justice also recapped his trip Thursday to Ohio County, where he joined U.S. Representative David B. McKinley, P.E., for a ceremony to announce that Veloxint, a manufacturer of nanocrystalline metal alloys, is moving to Touchstone Research Laboratory Ltd. in Triadelphia, West Virginia.
Veloxint expects to create 200-300 new jobs over the next four years at its new location. Positions will include research engineers, laboratory technicians, metallurgists, and machinists.
“This company is doing so many high-tech things, it’s off the chart, and it’s all happening in West Virginia,” Gov. Justice said. “It sounds like a Silicon Valley project, but it’s happening in West Virginia, because companies like Veloxint are seeing how business friendly we are and how we are the diamond in the rough that everybody missed.”
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WORKFORCE, WV COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM PARTNERING WITH CHEMOURS TO HELP WORKERS EARN DEGREE
Additionally, Gov. Justice echoed his announcement Thursday that a new collaborative initiative is underway between WorkForce West Virginia, the West Virginia Community and Technical College System (WV CTCS), and Chemours; a chemical company with locations in the state. The partnership will provide the opportunity for more than 300 West Virginia Chemours employees to earn their associate degree by fall 2025.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVUP) and Chemours developed the new incumbent worker training program to provide associate degrees for hourly employees at the Wood County site of Chemours. The initiative will provide the opportunity for workers to earn a degree in four industry-driven areas: Production Technician, Area Maintenance Technician, Electrical and Instrumentation Maintenance Technician, and Lab Technician.
The program curriculum is inclusive of and responsive to employer-identified needs and real-life workplace scenarios. Program participants will complete courses each semester while working full-time. Participants will receive a pay increase upon successfully completing the program.
“I thank companies like Chemours who are willing to step up and do more goodness for the communities where they operate,” Gov. Justice said. “This program is going to make their workers better-trained. It’s a great partnership for all involved.”
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GOV. JUSTICE CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF OVER $8M IN UPGRADES AT PIPESTEM RESORT STATE PARK
Gov. Justice also took time to recap his visit Wednesday to Pipestem Resort State Park, where he and other state leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of over $8 million in upgrades at the park.
Upgrades at Pipestem include nearly $4.4 million in renovations to the park’s two lodges, cabin upgrades, and more than $3.6 million in infrastructure improvements to the park’s tram, wastewater treatment plant, and campground waterline.
“The updates are truly spectacular,” Gov. Justice said. “Some of the views from the rooms in the renovated lodge are beyond all comparison.”
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Pipestem is the latest state park to reopen facilities after major renovations. In recent months, Gov. Justice has hosted similar ribbon-cutting ceremonies at North Bend, Hawks Nest, Blackwater Falls, and Canaan Valley state parks to celebrate more than $24 million in improvements.
These upgrades represent a small portion of $151 million in improvement projects that have been completed or started at every state park and forest in West Virginia since Gov. Justice took office.
“We’ve invested in our parks and we’ve already gotten a return on our investment multiple times over because our parks are slammed with people that want to see what West Virginia has to offer,,” Gov. Justice said. “And not only that, but many of those people are spending their dollars here or even deciding to move here. The ripple effects are off the charts because we are changing our image.”
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