MORGANTOWN — With winter on its way — temps are expected to dip into the 30s as early as this weekend, with snow flurries in the forecast — along with holiday travel and get-togethers, West Virginia could be in for a “catastrophe” if more people don’t get vaccinated and get their booster shots.
That’s the takeaway from Gov. Jim Justice’s Friday COVID-19 briefing — sentiments echoed by Dr. Clay Marsh and Retired General James Hoyer.
As he does three times a week, Justice opened by announcing the most recent coronavirus deaths — 18 since Wednesday’s press conference, bringing the state to 4,610.
Since the last West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources update on Thursday, the state also saw 1,138 new cases. The Rt value — which measures the rate of spread — is .94, too close for comfort to 1, Justice said.
“If it goes over 1, it’s bad news,” he said.
There are 531 people in the hospital, with 173 in ICUs and 87 on ventilators.
It’s far from ideal, the panel said Friday.
“All the stars are aligning for a new surge,” Justice said. People moving inside due to colder temperatures, gathering for the holidays, traveling in and out of state — all of that leads to spread of the disease if people aren’t vaccinated, or their immunity is compromised due to waning vaccinations.
If you’re six months out from getting the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or two months from receiving the Johnson & Johnson shot, you need to get your booster now, he said.
Of the people in hospitals, about 72% are unvaccinated — the rest have been vaccinated but likely haven’t gotten their boosters, meaning their immunity is low.
Hoyer noted fewer than 50,000 boosters have been administered in the state — compared to the over 1 million people who have received at least a first dose.
If you’re 18 or older, chances are you’re eligible for the booster shot, they said, so there is no time like the present — before heading out for Thanksgiving and Christmas — to bolster those original vaccinations.
“Today, not next Monday,” Justice said, running through a series of procrastination scenarios. “There is nothing more important … nothing you’re doing anywhere you are … that’s more important.”
In an effort to reach out to those who are eligible for their boosters, Justice urged Bill Crouch to come up with a way to contact people — be it using the existing Everbridge system or otherwise.
“You find a way,” Justice told him Friday.
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