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West Virginia Week in Review - March 20, 2021

3/20/2021

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Gov. Justice: All school employees desiring vaccine now vaccinated

On Friday, Gov. Justice announced that all West Virginia school employees who wanted a vaccine have now been vaccinated.

“I am very happy to announce this,” Gov. Justice said. “Because we opened up our prioritization to essential workers of all ages, we were able to offer vaccinations to all school employees.”

Gov. Justice expands list of vaccine-eligible pre-existing conditions; makes vaccines available to all essential workers

Vaccinations are now available to all essential workers and all West Virginians age 16 and older with any of the following pre-existing medical conditions:

Asthma
Diabetes Mellitus
Chronic kidney disease
Heart disease
Immunosuppression
Lung fibrosis
Blood disorders
Liver disease
COPD
Neurological disorders
High Blood Pressure
Chronic infectious disease like HIV

These are in addition to the pre-existing conditions or situations Gov. Justice previously announced as vaccine-eligible:

Down syndrome
Intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caretakers
Caretakers of those with congenital or acquired disease
Organ or bone marrow transplant
Obesity (BMI > 35)
Sickle cell anemia
Cystic fibrosis
Pregnancy

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Gov. Justice orders investigation into death data

On Friday, Gov. Justice announced that the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) recently discovered that another 20 COVID-19-related deaths were not properly reported by various healthcare facilities across the state.

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Gov. Justice announces bill to exempt unemployment benefits from state income tax

On Friday, Gov. Justice announced that he has submitted a bill to the Legislature to exempt the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits received last year by West Virginians from the state income tax for the 2020 tax filing year.

Earlier this week, Gov. Justice announced that, in light of the American Rescue Plan Stimulus bill extending unemployment benefits for all Americans through September 4, 2021, WorkForce West Virginia is working with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on specific guidance to implement the unemployment provisions of the American Rescue Plan.

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Gov. Justice commemorates one-year anniversary of West Virginia’s first case of COVID-19

Gov. Justice noted that Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the discovery of the first case of COVID-19 in West Virginia.

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DHHR, Thomas Health announce closure of COVID-19 surge facility at Saint Francis Hospital

On Wednesday, Gov. Justice announced the closure of the COVID-19 surge facility at Saint Francis Hospital in Charleston. The decision was made based on the amount of COVID-19 positive patients admitted to healthcare facilities across the state. The surge facility had been operational since early August 2020.

Gov. Justice announces popular Gold Rush trout program back and better than ever in 2021

Gov. Justice announced Tuesday that the West Virginia Gold Rush trout program is returning this year bigger and better than ever, with 12 days of trout stockings and more opportunities for anglers to win prizes.

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Gov. Justice announces extension of state tax filing deadline for individuals to May 17, 2021

Gov. Justice announced Thursday that he has directed the West Virginia Tax Department to extend the West Virginia income tax filing and payment deadline until Monday, May 17, 2021, to correspond with the federal government’s recent tax filing extension to the same date.

Gov. Justice signs West Virginia Jumpstart Savings Act, COVID-19 Jobs Protection Act

Gov. Justice hosted a pair of ceremonial events Friday inside the Governor’s Reception Room in Charleston, signing into law two bills: the West Virginia Jumpstart Savings Act and the COVID-19 Jobs Protection Act.

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First Lady Cathy Justice announces winners of St. Patrick’s Day Essay Contest

First Lady Cathy Justice is happy to announce the winners of her St. Patrick’s Day Essay Contest. The First Lady had 331 essays submitted from 23 counties and was thrilled to see the creativity of West Virginia’s children.

WVDOH uses new drill to rapidly reopen US 19 in Spanishburg

On Wednesday, the West Virginia Division of Highways reopened a 175-foot section of US 19 near Spanishburg in Mercer County. The road was washed out on March 3 from high waters on the Bluestone River.

WVDNR hosting virtual Archery in the Schools state tournament March 25-27

This year’s virtual Archery in the Schools state tournament will be March 25-27. To participate, school-based archery teams will shoot competitive rounds in their own facility and submitting scores through a database that will automatically rank and determine winners.

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WV DMV announces over one million online vehicle transactions

Commissioner Everett Frazier of the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles announced Friday that DMV’s online services portal reached a major milestone in the month of February: over one million vehicle transactions completed!