MORGANTOWN — Gov. Jim Justice announced Do It For Babydog Round 2 on Friday.
As before, the goal is to get younger residents vaccinated, he said. “We’ll try to incentivize more and more and more to get across the finish line.”
Babydog was on hand for the announcement, seated on a chair next to Justice; the chair was draped with a Jim Justice quilt so it looked like Babydog was sitting on his quilt-image lap.
Registration begins Monday, Aug. 23, and the first of six weekly drawings will be Aug. 31. Those who registered for the first round must register again for this one, Justice said.
Round 2 offers a new set of prizes each week: five full scholarships per week for ages 12-25; a luxury sports car; four ATVs, side-by-sides or high-end, zero-turn lawn mowers; a custom fishing boat, either bass or pontoon; a dream wedding; free gas for 10 years to two people per week; a season-ticket package to WVU or Marshall sporting events; and five season ski lift tickets per week.
“We gotta get our young people vaccinated,” he said. He estimated the cost for this round at $6 million to $8 million.
Joint Interagency Task Force Director Gen. James Hoyer said this week was the fifth in a row of steady increase in vaccinations. “It’s not enough and it’s not fast enough.”
With the Delta variant attacking younger people, some of the numbers are reflecting that: The average case age has fallen to 41; the hospitalization average age has fallen below 60.
“Please go out and get vaccinated,” he said. “It is the best line of defense against that; we have to address this surge here and to prevent future death and hospitalization.”
The Dominion Post asked for some clarification on the two new national efforts to provide what some call vaccine boosters and others call third shots.
One is the push to get third shots for people who are immunocompromised. State Heath Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad said anyone who fits the criteria can get the shot if 28 days have passed since their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna.
There’s no age limit and they don’t need a doctor’s note, she said; they have to self-attest at the vaccine site that they fit the criteria.
The second push is set to begin nationally Sept. 20, and this is a booster for anyone who had their second dose six-to-eight months ago. She noted that the CDC and others have been somewhat inconsistent in specifying the time frame, sometimes saying six months, sometimes saying eight.
This booster is also for any age; just bring your vaccine card to the site. You want to make sure that you get the same brand of vaccine as last time, either Pfizer or Moderna.
The CDC and FDA haven’t yet announced guidance for those who’ve had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
TWEET David Beard @dbeardtdp
EMAIL dbeard@dominionpost.com
