News on the arrival of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine could not have come any sooner. In Greenbrier County, there have been 647 confirmed cases of the virus, 469 of which are currently active. Thus far, 446 Greenbrier residents previously infected with COVID-19 have since recovered and 26 are hospitalized.
On Tuesday, December 15, five staff-members from the Greenbrier County Health Department received the COVID-19 vaccination. The staff-members included Dr. Bridgett Morrison, Nurse Director/Administrator Nikki Dolan, Katrina Clinebell, Jackie Nutter and Ashley Butler. On Wednesday, December 15, Morrison and Dolan provided a video-update on their condition after being vaccinated. Two reported no side effects whatsoever, while two reported mild soreness around the injection site. One individual who received the vaccination reported experiencing general aches and pains. Morrison and Dolan promised to provide periodic updates as to their progress to help reassure residents of the vaccine’s safety.
Unfortunately the Greenbrier County Health Department also had some sad news to report.
In a social media post dated Tuesday, December 15, Health Department officials said, “It is with great regret that we announce our twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth COVID-19 deaths, We lost a 78-year-old female resident and an 82-year-old male resident due to complications of the virus. We offer our sincere condolences to their families.”
As of Wednesday, December 16, Greenbrier County has been upgraded to the red designation on the W.Va. Department of Health and Human Resources color-coded county map. Greenbrier’s infection rate is now 99.33% and the county’s percent positive is 8.21%.
The W.Va. DHHR has also recorded 27 additional deaths and 1,141 new cases of COVID-19 across the state within the last 24 hours. Among those confirmed deceased are a 53-year-old Cabell County woman, a 92-year-old Wyoming County woman, a 76-year-old Brooke County man, a 76-year-old Lewis County woman, a 79-year-old Hardy County man, a 76-year-old Brooke County man, an 81-year-old Ohio County woman, a 69-year-old Ohio County man, an 83-year-old Hancock County man, a 75-year-old Mercer County man, a 62-year-old Marshall County man, a 79-year-old Wetzel County man, a 73-year-old Wetzel County man, an 87-year-old Morgan County man, a 92-year-old Marion County woman, a 66-year-old Greenbrier County woman, an 85-year-old Wood County woman, a 90-year-old Pocahontas County man, a 73-year-old Marshall County woman, an 88-year-old Marshall County woman, an 84-year-old Cabell County woman, a 73-year-old Kanawha County man, an 82-year-old Putnam County man, a 64-year-old Kanawha County man, an 83-year-old Berkeley County woman and a 68-year-old Kanawha County man.
The total number of West Virginians who have succumbed to complications stemming from COVID-19 has now reached 1,039.
There have been 66,849 cases of COVID-19 identified in West Virginia since the onset of the pandemic, 21,260 of which are currently active. Now at 10.27%, the state’s daily positivity-rate has increased significantly in recent days. However, only 8,707 laboratory tests were performed on Tuesday, December 15; the lowest amount performed in over a month. West Virginia’s seven-day testing average is 12,668. The cumulative positivity-rate also continues to rise, and has now reached 4.18%.
On the evening of Monday, December 14, members of state-leadership, including Gov. Jim Justice, Dr. Ayne Amjad, Dr. Clay Marsh, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer and DHHR Cabinet Sec. Bill Crouch, were vaccinated in a live streamed-event.
In a tweet on December 15, Amjad provided a brief update.
“Vaccine side effects day one: my arm is mildly sore – similar to as if I lifted 2 – 3, 25 lb bulky bags of salt for my driveway yesterday. With only one arm. (BTW I have a skinny arm) But that is all.”
Amjad then followed up with a second, early-morning tweet on December 16.
“Vaccine side effects day two: arm is much better,” Amjad wrote. “No reports of headache, nausea or muscle aches. (Flu like symptoms.)”
During the Wednesday, December 16 coronavirus response media-briefing, Dr. Marsh provided an update on his progress, as well.
“I have had no real side effects,” Marsh said. “My arm was a little sore. On a scale of one to 10, I’d give it a one, or one-and-a-half.”
The governor, himself, also commented on the after-effects of receiving the vaccination.
“My arm hasn’t hurt me at all,” Justice said. “Other than a little but of tingling, I’m fine.”
Justice then set a targeted date of 30-days to fully vaccinate the residents and staff-members of all nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Justice further stated that March 2020 is the expected timeframe for the beginning of Phase two, which will start with the vaccination of members of the general population who are over 60-years of age.
It should be noted that the vaccine is designed as a preventative measure, not a treatment. Both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines must be administered in two-separate doses. Pfizer’s second dose should be administered approximately 21-days after the initial injection and Moderna’s second dose should be administered approximately 28-days after.
At present, 766 West Virginians are hospitalized with COVID-19, 197 of whom are receiving care in the ICU. There are 82 individuals being treated with ventilators. According to the W.Va. DHHR, 44,550 of those who have been previously infected with the virus have since recovered.
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