Today, March 17, marks the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case reported in West Virginia.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice made this announcement during his Wednesday press conference.
Over the past year, there have been 2,320,735 total confirmed laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 136,334 total cases and 2,565 total deaths.
Although numbers have been going down for some time, Justice said that due to restrictions being lifted, there has been a slight increase in the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations around West Virginia.
“All across America we are starting to see this thing heat back up,” Justice said. “We have got to be cautious.”
Residents need to continue to wear masks and not just jump to make a political statement or macho move, Justice added.
“This thing is ticking up just a little in West Virginia,” Justice said. “We are really close to whipping this thing, but if we don’t watch out, we will start slipping back down.”
“Get vaccinated,” Justice continued. “Please get vaccinated.”
Fifty-eight percent of those over 65 have been vaccinated, but the goal is 75%, Justice said. Ultimately, he said he would like the goal to be much higher than 75%.
At this time, all essential workers of any age and those with certain medical conditions are eligible to receive the vaccination, Justice continued.
Coronavirus Czar Dr. Clay Marsh added that in Europe they are seeing a third coronavirus surge and the UK variant is causing younger people to become seriously ill and end up in hospitals.
“In West Virginia, we are not out of the woods, yet,” Marsh said. “We are at risk of seeing more spread. It is concerning that we are seeing our hospital numbers go up.”
“We are asking all West Virginians, and especially our younger ones, that you be very careful about wearing masks and staying physically distanced,” Marsh said.
Major General James Hoyer, director of the WV Joint InterAgency Task Force, stated “We are cognizant that there are some people over the age of 65 who may not have received their vaccination, so I continue to encourage folks if you are in that age group call the hotline.”
Those working at the hotline call center will take a list of those wishing to receive vaccines and deliver them to each county to get the resources needed for their residents, Hoyer added.
State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad encouraged residents to continue to get tested if they are experiencing coronavirus symptoms.
For those individuals who have been on a vaccine list for more than three weeks, Secretary Bill Crouch of the Division of Health and Human Resources, said they should contact someone at the call center.
The state’s toll-free hotline is 1-800-887-4304 or visit coronavirus.wv.gov, for more information.
All residents are encouraged to register for their vaccine at https://vaccinate.wv.gov.
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