Vaccine first dose rate tops 106%
MORGANTOWN – The statewide online COVID-19 vaccination preregistration system went live Monday morning, Gov. Jim Justice announced.
At the time he announced it during his morning briefing, 32,723 had already preregistered. Later in the briefing, Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch announced that the number had topped 40,000.
The online platform was created by Everbridge, a company based in Boston and Los Angeles. Justice said it cost the state $700,000 but it’s worth the money to spare people calling DHHR over and over again and never getting through.
Residents can preregister and get in the vaccine queue at vaccinate.wv.gov or by calling the vaccine hotline at 833-734-0965. Crouch urged people to use the online system. The phone line is currently experiencing glitches and people are getting messages to call back in February, he said. They’ve spoken to Verizon and are waiting for Verizon to fix the problem.
Crouch said they are also working to fix a problem in the system that prevents a person from preregistering all eligible household members at the same time; right now individuals may only register themselves. “We will fix that immediately,” he said.
The waiting lists are currently prioritized by age, he said. Teachers age 50 and over and health care workers are also prioritized. DHHR expects to release more information on bringing other people into the priority lists in the next couple weeks.
COVID-19 Czar Clay Marsh said the vaccine infrastructure allows the state to vaccinate 125,000 people per week but supply remains the issue. “There is a production issue” nationwide and everyone hopes it gets solved.
Justice joyfully bragged about the current vaccine numbers. Out of 156,300 doses received, 166,358 have been administered – a 106.4% rate.
“We’re getting more squeal out of the pig than you can imagine,” he said. And nothing is going to waste. He showed a front page of the New York Times where an above-the-fold story says “West Virginia speeds ahead on innoculation.”
The reason that the rate tops 100%, he said, is that many vaccine vials contain six doses instead of five.
Marsh said both the Pfizer and Moderna vials contain occasional extra doses. It’s mostly the Pfizer vials and it’s not all of them. But it’s enough that they’ve added a sixth syringe into their vaccine kits.
Justice cheered West Virginia’s leadership. “Everybody knows it,” he said. “All I can say is pour it on West Virginia, just keep doing it.”
Tweet David Beard@dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
