| CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice and members of the West Virginia COVID-19 pandemic response leadership team held another news briefing today to update the public on the state’s latest pandemic response and vaccine distribution efforts. |
| GOV. JUSTICE SPOTLIGHTS DECLINING NUMBER OF COVID CASES During his 300th briefing on COVID-19 Monday, Gov. Justice spotlighted a pair of charts depicting the number of daily cases in West Virginia and across the nation, both of which now show a substantial decline in cases in recent days. |
WV CASE NUMBERS |
U.S. CASE NUMBERS |
| “If you look at these charts, you’ll see that, as we entered this surge from the Omicron variant, our numbers went way, way up. But now, you see them moving down pretty aggressively,” Gov. Justice said. “We’re starting to move in a good direction and we’re very, very hopeful that this drop off will continue.” |
| BOOSTER SHOTS NOW AUTHORIZED FOR ALL WEST VIRGINIANS AGES 12 AND OLDER COVID-19 booster shots are now authorized and encouraged for all West Virginians ages 12 and older. Booster shots are available for free to all eligible West Virginians. The waiting period for those who received initial series Pfizer shots has been shortened to five months. Read more about booster eligibility at CDC.gov. West Virginians can go to any location offering COVID-19 vaccines with their vaccination card to receive their booster. If your card has been lost, you can request a new one from the DHHR. Initial series vaccinations remain available for free for all West Virginians ages 5 and older. West Virginians interested in being vaccinated or having their children vaccinated are encouraged to visit Vaccinate.wv.gov or call the West Virginia Vaccine Info Line: 1-833-734-0965. |
| CASE NUMBERS & HOSPITALIZATIONS UPDATE On Monday, Gov. Justice reported that there are now 10,700 active cases of COVID-19 and 994 COVID-related hospitalizations statewide. COVID-19 Dashboard | Coronavirus.wv.gov An updated breakdown of the West Virginia County Alert Map is as follows: Red (17) | Orange (13) | Gold (14) | Yellow (7) | Green (4) |
| The Governor went on to announce that 290 West Virginia National Guard members have now been authorized to deploy to 34 medical facilities across the state as part of the WVNG’s mission to provide staffing support to West Virginia hospitals in the face of the current surge. |
| GOVERNOR OFFERS CONDOLENCES AFTER PASSING OF CORRECTIONS OFFICER TO COVID-19 Also on Monday, Gov. Justice announced that a 31-year-old Western Regional Jail correctional officer has died from COVID-19, the fourth such death among Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation staff since the pandemic began. Cpl. Christopher Scarberry, of Genoa, had served at the Western Regional Jail in Cabell County since 2018. He had been hospitalized with COVID-19 since December and died Sunday. His survivors include his wife and three stepchildren. “Cathy and I offer up our prayers and our condolences, in every way, to Christopher, his family, and all his loved ones,” Gov. Justice said. “From the beginning of this terrible pandemic, our correctional officers have run to the fire. I promise you, Christopher will never be forgotten.” |
