CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Tuesday acknowledged the terrible toll the pandemic continues to extract from Mountain Staters, while noting improvements in many metrics.
"Now we've been four days since we've really been together," said Justice, who last spoke about COVId-19 to the state late Friday afternoon. "We've lost an additional 82 people. To be perfectly honest, I was afraid it could even be greater than this. But I do think we're making some headway. But at the same time, talk about losing 82 people and making headway, that's really tough to do."
The 82 additional deaths brought the state's death toll to 1,815. West Virginia also has a per capita death toll of over 100 now, considerably worse than bordering states Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia.
But on the bright side, the reproductive rate has dropped to .85, the lowest that Justice said he has seen it, and also best in the nation. Additionally, there are only 17 counties in the red metric — the most restrictive — on the County Alert System.
Additionally, the cumulative percent positivity appears to have plateaued, at least for now, around 5.5%, while the daily percent positivity has been basically on the decline since Jan. 2.
Hospital numbers also are all on the decline. COVID-19 cases in state hospitals now are at 638, well down from the pandemic high of 818 reported on 806 reported Jan. 5. Also, ICU cases have dropped to 162, and ventilator cases have plummeted from the pandemic high of 104 on Jan. 10 to 85 in the latest report. And, West Virginia's is almost at a 1:1 testing ratio — it has nearly administered as many tests during the pandemic as there are residents (1.792 million) in the Mountain State.
West Virginia's administration rate for first doses of the vaccine are 99.6%, leading the nation, with over 156,000 total doses administered. That number counts second doses.
"We can't give you a vaccine shot if we don't have the vaccines, can we? And just to tell it like it is. Most of the time I'm Jim or Jimmy. Now's the time I'm James. We expected an additional 25,000 like we were told ... yesterday or today, and they didn't come. We got in 23,000 and change for first-round doses, and the second round doses are significantly higher, but we've got to give those. They're second doses," Justice said.
Justice added that the 23,000 first doses was "unacceptable," citing the state's aged and ill population, and who is bordered by a high volume of people.
"We have to have more vaccines because we can save lives, and we won't leave them on the shelf," Justice said.
West Virginia has "performed. I think performance ought to be rewarded," Justice said, accusing some other states of "piddling around" and leaving doses in warehouses.
"For crying out loud, what are we going to do? Are we going to leave the doses in warehouses, while people are dying like flies?" Justice said.
The governor also urged state residents to call leaders in Washington and request the state "to get bumped up" due to its success in administration of inoculations, the age and ill health of its population, and its location amid populous states.
West Virginia deserves "the meat and potatoes," but will take the "crumbs" left by other states, Justice added.
The state moved the eligibility age for vaccines to 65 on Tuesday, Justice said. He acknowledge there likely are many over 70 and over 80 who still want vaccinated. However, the move to 65 was done to mirror the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation. Going against that CDC recommendation would be risking having future dose shipments limited, Justice said.
Clinics for 65 and older are scheduled around the state, Justice said. That includes a WVU Medicine vaccine clinic that's upcoming at a former retailer in Morgantown; Justice is hopeful that will become an ongoing clinic.
The governor said he hopes the administration of President-elect Biden will offer immediate assistance, "and we'll keep pushing really hard." On Biden's impending rise to the presidency, Justice added that "I look forward with us working together, and our people are already talking with him."
West Virginia has been receiving about 100,000 doses of vaccine a month, but has an objective where it wants to get to where it can administer 120,000 doses per week, according to James Hoyer, chairman of the Joint Interagency Task Force and West Virginia National Guard major general retired.
Bill Crouch, DHHR secretary, said the state is looking at ways to enhance phone registration for vaccination appointments, with those to be in place by the end of the week. Perhaps as soon as sometime next week, the state also hopes to roll out an online registration portal.
In the wake of the state's vaccine success, Justice added that his comment to all those who have said bad things about West Virginia: "I want to rub it in their face."
Meanwhile, Justice announced that Dennis Davis, Cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance, has died.
"This really, really hits home with me. I just don't throw this out there for nothing, but I thought the entire world of this man," Justice said.
Davis, 79, had a "profound impact" on the state's 137,000 veterans, Justice said.
The Kanawha County native served in the U.S. Army; was a longtime educator; and was a member of the Honor Guard at the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery in Institute, his hometown.
Davis also was executive director of WorkForce Development under Gov. Underwood, and was a one-time member of the school board in Kanawha County.
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