During his briefing Friday, Gov. Justice announced that pandemic response teams are on the move, getting booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the arms of at-risk West Virginians. After months of debate on the federal level, the CDC has authorized Pfizer booster shots for certain populations and also recommended a booster dose for those in high risk occupational and institutional settings.
The CDC recommends that:
- People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their second dose of Pfizer.
- People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their second dose of Pfizer.
- People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their second Pfizer dose, based on their individual benefits and risks.
- People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their second Pfizer dose, based on their individual benefits and risks.
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On Thursday, Gov. Justice traveled the state to surprise a few winners through the “Do it for Babydog: Round 2” Vaccination Sweepstakes.
Kassidy Wolfe – a member of the WLU Women's Soccer Team – was named as the winner of a brand new Audi sports car.
Homer Pierce of Weirton was named as the winner of free gas for 10 years; a prize valued at $40,000.
Travis Bayes of Wheeling was named as the winner of a new Yamaha Grizzly ATV.
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Gov. Justice also surprised Maggie Hill, a student at John Adams Middle School in Kanawha County, and Chazz Grady, a student at Poca High School in Putnam County, naming each of them as winners of a full four-year scholarship to any public college or university in the state, including room and board, tuition, and books; a prize valued at over $100,000.
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The Governor and Babydog also traveled to Parkersburg to surprise Bruce Kesterson of Davisville with a brand new Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW Bass Boat, complete with a GPS fish tracker, FourStroke Mercury 150L Pro XS motor, and an accompanying trailer.
This marks the fourth of six weeks of prize giveaways as part of “Do it for Babydog: Round 2.” A total of 25 winners were announced this week.
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Following Gov. Justice’s Breakfast Roundtable Summit with his Pandemic Leadership Team Monday morning at the Governor’s Mansion in Charleston, Gov. Justice announced during his COVID-19 briefing that the State will be implementing a new initiative called “Saving Our Care” to ensure the stability of hospitals and nursing homes as the current surge in cases brought on by the Delta variant begins to peak.
Saving Our Care will provide staffing assistance and financial help to hospitals and long-term care facilities like nursing homes and assisted living facilities to keep workforce levels up. The program will also provide financial assistance to hospitals that have to defer elective procedures.
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West Virginia saw a new record high for total hospitalizations Wednesday, reaching exactly 1,000.
As of Friday, there were 16,223 active cases of COVID-19 across West Virginia; up 943 cases from the Governor’s briefing on Wednesday. However, the total case count is still 45.5% lower than it was when it peaked at 29,744 one week ago. West Virginia saw new all-time record highs Friday for total hospitalizations (1,008) and the number of patients on ventilators (187). Meanwhile, the number of patients in ICUs (289) is just below the all-time record.
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On Monday, Gov. Justice explained that following his briefing on Sept. 17, an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend Emergency Use Authorization of an additional shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for all citizens ages 65 and older at least six months after being fully vaccinated. The Governor and Dr. Marsh went on to discuss a proposal to study antibody levels of vaccinated West Virginians ages 50-64.
“If you’re in this age range, we need to get you in and test those antibodies to where we can start plugging in information to where we can be making cases to get you the booster shot as well,” Gov. Justice said.
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Gov. Justice announced Wednesday that he has appointed Allan L. McVey as West Virginia Insurance Commissioner. McVey fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Jim Dodrill. Gov. Justice also announced that he has appointed Mary Jane Pickens as Acting Secretary of the Department of Administration.
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West Virginia Board of Education President Miller Hall and Superintendent of Schools W. Clayton Burch recognized three public schools named Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Rock Branch Elementary in Putnam County; Crescent Elementary in Raleigh County; and Criss Elementary in Wood County all received the distinction as exemplary high-performing schools, meaning they are among West Virginia’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally standardized tests.
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West Virginia is extending the safety of its Capitol Complex to the general public, by establishing a designated location for child custody exchanges, in-person e-commerce transactions, and the like. The Capitol Police have set up a Safe Zone at the bus turnaround between the Culture Center and the West Virginia Veterans Memorial. The turnaround, which is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., is accessible via the campus entrance at the intersection of Greenbrier Street and Washington Street East.
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The Tamarack arts and crafts center is celebrating 25 years of representing the best of West Virginia this weekend. Tamarack will host special events from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, Saturday, Sept. 25, at the center, located just off the West Virginia Turnpike near Beckley.
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An iconic wooden gateway that welcomed visitors to Coopers Rock State Forest in the 40s and 50s is being reconstructed as part of a series of improvements at the popular state forest. The project is a collaboration between the West Virginia State Parks system, the West Virginia Division of Forestry and the Coopers Rock State Forest Foundation, which came up with the plan to reconstruct the original entrance and raised money for the project. Construction will begin in October.
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