Back in December, we said in an editorial that if West Virginia University wanted to be a partner to the Morgantown community in the fight against COVID, it needed to step up its game.
Well, WVU definitely stepped up its game.
West Virginia University Medicine launched a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic in the old Sears at the Morgantown Mall. The clinic opened yesterday to inoculate 500 people and is expected to give vaccines to just as many today.
WVUM President and CEO Albert Wright told The Dominion Post it is not requesting any state or federal money for running the clinic: “We just want to help be part of the solution, working directly with the governor to vaccinate our way out of COVID here in West Virginia.”
So we are giving WVU and WVU Medicine their well-deserved applause. This is how a university gives back to the town and the state it calls home, and we are thankful for everything they are doing.
The clinic is staffed with about 50 people and set up to do up to 4,000 vaccinations a day — if and when supplies allow. For now, it’s getting the vaccine into about 500 arms a day — for a total of 1,000 inoculations by the end of today — which is 1,000 more people who are one step closer to immunization than there were at the beginning of the week. And we will take what we can get.
Right now, the state is only allowing for people 65 years and older to receive the vaccine and the clinic is following state guidelines. Since doses are limited, anyone 65 and up must make an appointment beforehand. Walk-ins are not accepted and will not be allowed into the clinic.
Today’s slots are all filled, but interested West Virginia residents (65+) can start setting up an appointment. There’s an online registration website (wvumedicine.org/vaccine) or you can call 833-795-SHOT (833-795-7468) from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
WVU Medicine has made clear that you don’t have to be one of their patients to utilize the free clinic, but you do need to be a West Virginia resident, and you will be asked to provide a valid, state-issued West Virginia driver’s license or identification card, or a valid and unexpired U.S. passport or U.S. passport card with a recent utility bill that has a West Virginia address. (To clarify, you don’t need to be a Monongalia County resident, just a state resident.)
We are so excited to see this clinic get off the ground and thankful to WVU and WVU Medicine for stepping up to support the community.
We hope to see 4,000 vaccinations a day sooner rather than later, but we’re pleased with the 500 per day we’re seeing now. Something is better than nothing, and in the war against COVID-19, every shot that reaches an arm helps.
