MORGANTOWN – As West Virginia appears to continue passing over the COVID-19 surge hump, the state is taking more steps to get people vaccinated – as supply allows.
The Rev. James Patterson, president of the Partnership of African American Churches, appeared during Friday’s COVID briefing from the governor’s office to introduce a new effort to get vaccinations to communities of color in the state.
He said the partnership is already working with the Department of Health and Human Resources and WVU to deploy four teams around the state to conduct COVID testing in minority communities.
They are now putting together four additional vaccine teams, he said. They plan to have permanent vaccination locations in the five southern counties where 50% of the state’s African American population lives. They’ll offer vaccinations at least weekly or biweekly.
Other teams will be mobile to take vaccines to communities of color, he said. The Air National Guard has pledged its help. They plan to have the program up and running the second week of February.
This will be another example of West Virginia’s national pandemic leadership, he said. “We know how to do this. We will be making a dent in the next couple months.”
Gen. James Hoyer, director of the Joint Interagency Task Force, said FEMA has offered personnel to increase staffing for the state COVID vaccination call line – 833-734-0965.
Gov. Jim Justice announced a small tweak in the vaccine registration process. He said people who’ve already gotten onto a local wait list should also preregister on the Everbridge online system at vaccinate.wv.gov.
No one will lose their place in line, he said, and registering online provides more demographic data to help get vaccines to the right areas.
The website currently says people who’ve registered locally don’t need to re-register, a reporter pointed out, but Justice said ignore that and preregister on Everbridge. It’s being updated.
Justice spent some time addressing some rumors that teachers 50 and up who missed the first round of vaccinations and those under 50 who haven’t been vaccinated yet have lost their priority and are out of luck.
“It’s just the wrong information,” he said. “If you don’t have your shot and you want a shot you can register on Everbridge.” The Everbridge form includes a place to note your profession and teachers will be prioritized as essential.
Among the vaccines still in development, two are close to reaching FDA Emergency Use Authorization: AstraZeneca’s and Johnson & Johnson’s.”
Johnson & Johnson was in the news Friday, announcing its vaccine has proved 66% effective among all recipients across the world; 72% effective in the U.S. for those with moderate to severe disease; and 85% for those with severe disease only.
COVID-19 Czar Clay Marsh said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose and can be transported at room temperature, unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which have a higher rate of effectiveness but require cold temperatures and are harder to distribute to remote areas.
Asked by The Dominon Post about the difference in rates of effectiveness, he said the higher rate for those with severe illness comes very close to the two already in use. This vaccine, once approved, will get more shots into more people’s arms.
And the ultimate goal, he said, is keeping people out of hospitals and dying. The reason the Johnson & Johnson rate varies around the world is because different forms of the virus affect antibody production differently. Effects on the South African strain were lower than on strains in the U.S.
Pfizer and Moderna, he added, are working to adjust their vaccines to react better on the newer strains such as the South African and U.K. Strains.
While the state’s COVID death toll topped 2,000 Friday – reaching 2,006 deaths – overall numbers keep trending well, Justice said. Daily cases have fallen for 13 straight days. Monday’s number was 22,570.
Justice said 44 of 50 states, including West Virginia, now have Rt rates – indicating the possible rate of spread – below one, showing the surge is passing across the country (the rtl.ive website is now down and links people to The COVID Tracking Project by the Atlantic, which offers a host of data but not a ready link to Rt rates).
Justice also said the state has completed all second-round dosses, for those who wanted vaccinations, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Vaccinations appear to have made an impact, with a 50% drop in nursing home COVID cases in the past 29 days.
Tweet David Beard@dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
