Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday during his regular COVID-19 briefing that he expects to announce “ideas regarding lessening of restrictions” on both businesses and schools.
“There are no red counties,” Justice said. “Isn’t that a beautiful thing?”
While Justice did not offer any clues about Friday’s news, he said almost 400,000 vaccines have been given to state residents. He also said 13 more people died from the coronavirus during the last 24 hours, bringing the state’s total to 2,225 since the pandemic began almost a year ago.
“We have saved a bundle of lives,” said Justice who again chastised residents of Gilmer, Wyoming, Mason and McDowell counties for not signing up for the shots.
“Come on now and get pre-registered,” he said. “266,000 have registered. That’s great, but it should be hundreds of thousands more.”
Justice praised the state’s efforts to get people 65 and older the COVID-19 vaccine. To date, more than 137,000 people in that age range have received the vaccine, and out of that total 63,000 have received their second shot. Overall, 145,734 people have been fully vaccinated.
“Take the shot,” Justice said. “You’re not going to grow antlers.”
Statewide, 320 people remain hospitalized because of the virus, including 74 people in hospital intensive care units. There is only one outbreak at a church – in Fayette County – and 25 outbreaks at assisted living facilities in the state. Twenty inmates have the virus, down from 43 on Monday.
“It’s not time to let our guard down especially with the viral variants out there,” said Dr. Clay Marsh, West Virginia’s coronavirus czar.
West Virginians who need assistance with pre-registration for any reason should call the West Virginia COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line for help at 1-833-734-0965. The info line is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Justice said there is no deadline to get vaccinated, but said the end goal for the state is to vaccinate itself out of the pandemic.
Monongalia County was orange, along with Lewis, Wetzel, Berkeley, Hampshire, Wood, Ritchie, Wayne and Boone. Orange and red means there is a high rate of spread in that particular county.
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