West Virginia COVID hospitalizations declining; residents can get booster, flu shot at once

Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations have recently been in the low 200s, with signs of slow declines.

Throughout the summer, officials warned the state could be on track to have 500 COVID-19 hospitalizations by Labor Day, a point of strategic and logistical concern for hospitals.

However, COVID-19 hospitalizations remained in the low to mid 300s through the end of August and have since continued to go down.

The state had the capacity to care for more than 800 hospitalized COVID-19 patients a year ago, but the benchmark was revised to 500 in early June, mainly due to staffing shortages.

The state’s pandemic metrics have shown improvements in recent weeks, but members of the state’s most vulnerable populations continue to die, said Hoyer, who leads West Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts.

“While our transmission rate has dropped below 1 and has stayed below 1 for a period of time, and our hospital numbers continue to drop to reasonable levels ... older West Virginians continue to die from COVID,” he said. “With flu season coming on, it is significantly important that older West Virginians get their Omicron booster, as well as get their flu shots.”

Around 400 Americans each day continue to die due to COVID-19, said Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s COVID-19 czar.

“We know that COVID is a deadly disease for our elders — people over 50,” he said. “93% of the deaths in the United States have been over 50, and about 95% of the deaths in West Virginia have been in citizens over 50.”

Marsh recently said West Virginians can choose a bivalent COVID-19 booster shot from either manufacturer, regardless of which shots they’ve had in the past.

Supplies of Pfizer’s version of the bivalent booster will initially be more prevalent in the state, Marsh said.

“We will see, at least immediately, more Pfizer Omicron booster shots than Moderna,” he said. “That should even up over a short period of time. But we know that it is safe to mix and match — if people have gotten Moderna shots up until now and are looking to get a booster shot, it’s OK to use the Pfizer Omicron booster.”

It is also OK to get the booster shot and a flu shot at the same time, Marsh said.

“Getting your Omicron booster shot along with your flu shot is not only something that is available, but something we would heavily recommend,” he said. “We anticipate that we might have a significant issue with the flu this year.”

The latest COVID-19 booster shots are called bivalent because they have been formulated to protect against the original coronavirus strain and its BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.

Residents must receive the regular series of vaccines before getting the new booster, said State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad.

“People will need to have their primary series, or two doses, before they get the booster,” she said. “This is a booster dose, so in order for it to be able to work, you do have to complete that primary series of either Pfizer or Moderna, whichever you prefer, before you can get the booster.”

Officials are in the process of determining how to best represent the new shots on the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ COVID-19 information dashboard, according to Hoyer.

“We’re looking to look how to depict that going forward,” he said. “When you get into the primary series, two boosters from the original piece and now the Omicron booster — going forward we want to be able to depict that in a way that’s not confusing.”

The state received an initial shipment of just under 50,000 doses of the new bivalent booster at the beginning of the month, Hoyer said.

“We anticipate over the next couple of weeks a significant influx (of the shots) ... ” he said. “So we should not have any shortages of vaccines.”

The state’s vaccination hotline (1-833-734-0965) remains available for state residents who have questions about the latest vaccine, Hoyer said.

“If you have questions, if you have concerns, reach out to the hotline and they will help you work through any challenges, with confusion and help with identifying locations for the Omicron booster that is now out and available,” he said. “West Virginians, I understand that this is quite confusing.”

West Virginians ages 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. All individuals ages 6 months and older should receive a primary series of vaccination, the initial set of shots that teaches the body to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19.

Those ages 5-11 years are recommended to get an original (monovalent) booster shot when due, and those ages 12 years and older are recommended to get an Omicron booster shot (bivalent) at least two months after completing their primary series.

Visit the WV COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator, a free, online tool that helps individuals figure out when they may be due for a COVID-19 shot, making it easier to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination.

To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or to find a vaccine, visit vaccines.gov, vaccinate.wv.gov, or call 1-833-734-0965.