Gov. Jim Justice said he agrees with a Kanawha Valley pulmonary doctor’s assessment that with so many unvaccinated patients hospitalized with coronavirus, it has largely become a disease of the unvaccinated.
Still, the governor said during his news conference Wednesday that he doesn’t believe in mask or vaccine mandates. He said he is glad that 53 out of the state’s 55 county school systems have mask mandates, with only Putnam and Pocahontas not requiring face coverings.
Video of the news conference, courtesy of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, can be viewed below:
Citing figures that show nearly 85% of those hospitalized with the virus in West Virginia are unvaccinated and more than 90% of the virus-related patients in ICU unvaccinated, Justice said the evidence strongly supports the effectiveness of the vaccines. He said he agreed with Dr. Tom Takubo, a pulmonary physician and a Kanawha County senator, who said at Monday's West Virginia COVID briefing that with hospitals filled with unvaccinated patients, the virus has become one largely for the unvaccinated.
“More and more people are dying,” Justice said. “More and more there is a need for you go get vaccinated to save your life.”
Justice gave some of the grim coronavirus statistics, with 44 people dying from the virus since his last briefing. The state’s death total is at 3,296. Hospitalizations are at a record 879 with a record 267 in ICU and 158 on a ventilator. Active cases are at 27,674.
In schools in West Virginia, there are 87 outbreaks in 33 counties, with 677 confirmed cases. Seven schools are closed. One county, Preston, is completely closed.
Long-term care facilities in the state have 76 outbreaks, and there are outbreaks at three churches. Corrections has 210 active cases among inmates in 11 facilities, and 49 active staff cases at 21 facilities.
“You can see there’s no way to get away from it. The only way to get away from it is to get vaccinated,” he said.
As far as vaccinations, 74% of those 12 and over eligible for the vaccine in West Virginia now have had at least one shot. For 65 and over, 92.6% has received at least one shot and 86.5% of those 50 and over has received at least one shot.
The governor said 4,200 have been vaccinated since his last COVVID-19 news conference on Monday. He said the vaccination numbers are good, but they are not good enough.
While he said he doesn’t agree in mask mandates, he encouraged everyone in large crowds to wear masks, particularly if they are over 65 and have health issues.
Justice said officials are hopeful that the virus will reach a peak and then start to decline, but he said there is no sign of that right now in West Virginia and he urged more people, particularly younger people, to get vaccinated.
ORIGINAL STORY
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and state health leaders will hold a COVID-19 news conference Wednesday.
The news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be shared inside this story once it begins.
Justice turned to a mother on Monday to share her story about her 40-year-old unvaccinated son, who has the virus and is in the fight of his life.
“This COVID is a monster,” said Linda Lanier during Justice’s coronavirus news conference Monday. “If it can take down my son, the MMA fighter, the Tough Man, which he’s won three times, maybe four. Linebacker. Knocked down. Completely knocked down. Can probably not even lift his arms. What’s it going to do to the average person? What’s it going to do to your children?”