On Thursday evening, Gov. Jim Justice delivered his sixth State of the State address to a joint session of the West Virginia Legislature at the State Capitol in Charleston.
This address supplemented the Governor’s written State of the State message, which was delivered to the West Virginia Legislature on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, after the Governor tested positive for COVID-19 the prior night, marking the first time in modern state history that a governor has delivered his State of the State by written message.
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During his State of the State address Thursday, the Governor announced his new Job Jumpstart Program, which will provide a one-time $1,500 payment to many West Virginians going back to work.
Complete eligibility requirements and Job Jumpstart Program applications are available online at workforcewv.org/jjp.
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Also during his State of the State address, the Governor announced that the deficit that has hindered the West Virginia Workers’ Compensation Old Fund for decades has now been completely eliminated.
The Workers’ Compensation Old Fund, which in 2005 had racked up a deficit of $3.5 billion, now has a positive net asset balance of $57 million.
Under the Governor’s leadership, the Old Fund’s invested assets generated over $170 million during FY2021 alone; a 17.6% return for the year.
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During his latest COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia reached 1,088 COVID-related hospitalizations on Thursday; once again setting a new all-time pandemic record.
COVID-19 Dashboard | Coronavirus.wv.gov
“We are flooding our hospitals,” Gov. Justice said. “If we don't watch out, we're going to have real problems.
“Overwhelmingly, the people that are going to the hospital and the people we are losing are the people that are unvaccinated.” Gov. Justice continued.
The Governor went on to announce that 275 West Virginia National Guard members have now been authorized to deploy to 34 medical facilities across the state as part of the WVNG’s mission to provide staffing support to West Virginia hospitals in the face of the current surge.
“All I ask you to do is consider stacking the deck in your favor by getting your vaccination,” Gov. Justice added. “And if you’ve already gotten your vaccination, I don’t know how in the world you aren’t running to get your booster shot.”
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During Wednesday’s briefing, Gov. Justice highlighted the FDA’s recent announcement that they are no longer permitting the use of the two major monoclonal antibody treatments.
In their announcement, the FDA said that these two treatments are highly unlikely to be effective against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
While these monoclonal antibody treatments are no longer authorized for use in West Virginia at this time, there are several other therapies that are currently available, including another brand of monoclonal antibodies and two oral pills that work against the Omicron variant and are approved for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for severe disease, including hospitalization or death.
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