Spread of variants causes concern in W.Va.

West Virginians 65 and older, who are at higher risk of severe illness and death from the virus, have largely embraced the vaccine. As of Friday’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 78.8% of the state’s residents in that demographic had received at least one dose of vaccine.

It’s younger people who are more likely not to have received a dose of the vaccine, and it is largely the younger demographic that is spreading the virus, according to West Virginia COVID-19 czar Dr. Clay Marsh.

The median age of residents testing positive for COVID-19 has dropped to 34, meaning many ages 16 to 25 are getting the virus, according to Gov. Jim Justice.

According to Marsh, most spread is occurring among state residents 10 to 19 years old.

“We’ve absolutely got to get those people vaccinated,” he said.

Justice said vaccine fear-mongering is partially responsible.

“Your risk of not taking a shot today is unbelievable compared to any risk involved with the vaccines. And believing all these crazy (rumors about vaccines) that anybody scares you with, please, please don’t listen to that stuff,” he said.

Although minors and individuals in their 20s and 30s are less likely to die from COVID-19 than older generations, the potential long-term effects of the disease are cause for concern, officials say.

“We are very worried about the long-term ramifications of the virus in younger people — this so-called long-COVID syndrome is really an important one,” Marsh said. We know COVID can affect the heart, affect the brain, can cause blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, etc. And this is not said to scare people, but it’s really true that even though a lot of young people may say, ‘Well, my odds of dying from this are not as high,’ the concern is that they could certainly suffer consequences for their entire life, which would be just tragic.”

They can also spread the virus to older individuals in their families and communities who might be more at risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death, he said.

The spread among young people also means that variants, including those which are more transmissible, more lethal and more capable of subverting the body’s natural immune response, are also more likely to spread.

Statewide, there are 635 known cases of the U.K. variant, 221 known cases of the California variants, three known cases of the Brazil variant and two known cases of the South Africa variant, according to DHHR.

Variants have found their way into at least four long-term care facilities in the state, according to DHHR Director of Communications Allison Adler.

“Any time we have cases of vaccine breakthrough, re-infection or rapid transmission in congregate settings, the epidemiologists work to ensure specimens are sequenced,” she said.

Known variant cases in North Central West Virginia counties include one case each of the U.K. variant in Barbour and Doddridge counties; 12 cases of the U.K. variant and 10 cases of the California variants in Harrison County; two cases of the U.K. variant in Lewis County; five cases of the U.K. variant and seven cases of the California variants in Marion County; 109 cases of the U.K. variant and 162 cases of the California variants in Monongalia County; one case each of the U.K., Brazil and California variants in Preston County; three cases of the U.K. variant and two cases of the California variants in Taylor County; and one case of a California variant in Upshur County.

To find a vaccination clinic, visit vaccinefinder.org.