MORGANTOWN — In the course of a day, the number of Delta-variant COVID cases tripled in West Virginia — from four to 12 — and Gov. Jim Justice and Public Health Commissioner Ayne Amjad both said Tuesday that’s all the more reason to get vaccinated.
Justice passed along the recent announcements by Pfizer and Moderna that their vaccines are both effective against the Delta variant.
Everything is opening up, he said, people aren’t wearing masks, and the Delta variant is all around.
“If you’re not vaccinated, what are you going to do,” he said. “There’s no protection. This virus is everywhere and you’re walking around unprotected.”
Amjad didn’t have any information on the 12 cases but said the variant is becoming the predominant one around the world and it’s been expected it would arrive here. “We do expect to see some of those cases as well.”
Around the country, it appears in those who are unvaccinated and that’s probably the situation here, she said.
Of the 12 cases reported Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Resources, five are in Monongalia County; four are in Berkeley; and Hampshire, Marion and McDowell have one each.
Among the variants, the U.K. remains the predominant one in West Virginia, with 2,241 total cases; 240 cases are from the California variant; 18 are Brazil; and seven are South Africa. Total active cases of all COVID kinds stood at 1,378 on Tuesday.
The second Do it for Babydog vaccine incentive lottery is set for Wednesday, June 30. Justice said 313,000 people are signed up.
As of Tuesday, 63.5% of the population age 12 and up had a first shot, and 52.8% were fully vaccinated.
On other topics, Justice took a couple questions on some controversial bills passed last legislative session, including the transgender athlete ban, which the Department of Justice believes won’t survive legal challenges.
Justice said all those bills will work their way through the courts. Regarding the transgender ban, he said, “I don’t think anybody here is discriminating against transgender people.”
The bill, which he signed, was about protecting female athletes born as females, in his view. “I thought it was terribly, terribly unfair to our girls … to try to have to compete against those folks who are transgender.”
That’s the whole thing, athletic competition, he said. “I hope and pray West Virginia is always a very welcoming state and loves everyone.”
Following up on that, a reporter asked him about California banning state-funded travel to West Virginia because of the transgender bill.
Justice said he doesn’t think it will affect the economy. He recounted the story of a California family who visited the state, loved it, and perhaps would like to move here.
“The state of California does some pretty strange stuff from time to time,” he said. “I don’t think West Virginia in any way wants to be California.” If Californians came here, “they’d see exactly what they’re really missing in California. They’d see a living, appreciative people. They’d see absolutely kindness like you can’t imagine.”
TWEET David Beard @dbeardtdp
EMAILl dbeard@dominionpost.com
