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W.Va. task force members: Merck pills could be in short supply, hope to get Pfizer pills


W.Va. task force members: Merck pills could be in short supply, hope to get Pfizer pills. (WCHS)
W.Va. task force members: Merck pills could be in short supply, hope to get Pfizer pills. (WCHS)
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State COVID task force members warned the Merck pills would be in short supply for sometime and had limited use because of individual medical conditions or drug interactions, but said they expected to get 300 of the more effective Pfizer pills next week.

The task force continued to press vaccinations, warning West Virginia will start getting fewer antibody therapies once the omicron variant becomes dominant here and they are less effective. Holiday travel and gatherings are expected to accelerate that change.

A tired Gov. Jim Justice delivered his last pre-COVID briefing before Christmas as active cases again topped 9,000.

"I promise you we'll get through this. I promise you will get through this so much better if we stay together," Justice said.

Justice also detailed how millions of dollars in remaining CARES Act money will be spent.

It included $22 million for a back-to-work initiative for workers who return and stay on the job 90 days.

More than $7 million for food banks, $10 million for an emergency management crisis fund and $15 million for any surprise pandemic expenses for state agencies.

The state's coronavirus czar, Dr. Clay Marsh, said the delta variant is still dominant in West Virginia, but he expects the faster spreading omicron variant to take over soon.

COVID spikes have become the norm after every major holiday travel period and with the infection rate from the omicron variant and some 100 million people on the road, there is no reason that this will be an exception.

The fear is it will overwhelm hospitals. There is no mandate ordered change, but the governor continues to urge vaccinations and boosters along with his experts who also suggest people mask up indoors, avoid large crowds and social distance.

There is concern travelers will bring back more than Christmas presents.

"And this holiday season is a really critical one for our hospital systems and we don't like the governor to have to continue to read names of good West Virginians who died of COVID-19,” Marsh said. “Which today is a preventable form of death, and people do the right thing and get fully vaccinated and pay attention.”

Nine more deaths Thursday pushed West Virginia's total to 5,251.

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