MORGANTOWN – West Virginia’s vaccination numbers continue to trickle downward – as they are in many other states – but Gov. Jim Justice put a good face on it Thursday, saying West Virginians have nothing to be ashamed of.
The state is among those struggling to get younger people vaccinated, he said. But the economy is in great shape.
Fiscal Year 2021 ended Wednesday, he said, and revenues finished $458.1 million above budget. Two recent special legislative sessions were devoted to spending most of that surplus: $150 million for various road projects and $250 million for a variety of things.
“The Legislature stepped up in a great way,” he said. During last week’s session, legislators approved nearly all of his proposals for spending the $250 million, leaving a few bills spending only about $3.5 million unpassed. And $50 million was put into the Rainy Day Fund, putting its balance above $1 billion.
“We’re in great shape, West Virginia,” he said. “We’ve absolutely handled this pandemic and you have nothing to be ashamed of, West Virginia. … We’ve rolled out and we’ve shocked the whole world.”
The vaccine numbers have followed natural peaks and valleys, hitting highs midweek and bottoming out on weekends. But the peaks have steadily shrunk: 2,145 June 3, 1,882 June 10, 1,550 June 17, 1,173 June 23, and only 622 on Tuesday.
But back to the economy. The income tax reserve fund, drained during the pandemic, was replenished with $45 million to help get refund checks out. Consumer sales tax revenue was 9.1% above estimates for June, 10.9% up for the year, Justice said.
Corporate net income tax revenue was more than double Fiscal Year 2020, at $320 million compared to $152 million. Personal income tax revenue was up 15.7% and severance tax, after being down 50% in January, rallied the last six months and finished 2.7% above FY 20.
Meanwhile, the Do it for Babydog vaccine incentive lottery continues for another five weeks. “Either you’re in the lottery of goodness and protection and prizes or you’re in the lottery of death,” he said.
COVID-19 Czar Clay Marsh again talked about the advance of the Delta variant. Known cases in West Virginia held steady at 12 since Tuesday. But nationally, on June 20 Delta cases made up 26% of all new COVID cases; by Thursday Delta made up 40% of all new cases.
Marsh restated his point that Delta is more infectious than either the original COVID strain on the UK variant, which stood at 2.328 total cases – active and recovered – on Thursday.
The infection rate for the original strain, Marsh said, was 1 to 2.3-2..7, meaning one person could infect 2.3 to 2.7 more people. The UK rate is 1 to 4-5. The Delta rate is 1 to 5-8. And it chiefly affects those unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.
Public Health Commissioner Ayne Amjad said the Delta cases here were contained in family units, and that’s the reason there’s been no quick uptick yet.
With variant cases proliferating and the mask mandate lifted, The Dominion Post asked if people who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated should still consider wearing masks.
Marsh and Amjad didn’t speak up but Justice said, “You’re dad-gum right I’d be wearing a mask. … If you chose today to not wear a mask and you’re not vaccinated you’re taking more and more risk.”
TWEET David Beard @dbeardtdp EMAIL dbeard@dominionpost.com
