CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice said distribution of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine around the state to hospitals, healthcare workers and long-term living facilities is going smoothly.
Justice gave an update Wednesday during his mid-week coronavirus briefing from the State Capitol Building. Justice thanked the West Virginia National Guard and local and state health officials for helping get the vaccines out.
“We’re pushing the vaccines out the door as fast as we possibly can,” Justice said. “We’re distributing them all across our state. Our Guard and our health people are doing a phenomenal job, that’s all there is to it. We’re going to stick right behind that, but we’re going to push them and push them and push them.”
Justice announced that CVS and Walgreens pharmacies entered into an agreement with the federal government to vaccinate nursing home residents on a voluntary basis. The companies said they expect to administer the first Pfizer vaccines starting on Monday, Justice said the state has already moved quicker than that, vaccinating more than 2,000 residents and staff in the state’s long-term care facilities.
“I know that our nursing home community is moving ahead, and moving ahead quicker than this,” Justice said. “We’re moving, and we decided to use a different approach for our program because over 40 percent of our pharmacies are not chain-affiliated. We have instead partnered with all the pharmacies in West Virginia.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Resources, there are 116 outbreaks in long-term care facilities and nursing homes in the state as of Wednesday, with 50 percent of COVID-19 deaths linked to nursing homes and long-term care. Justice said the state’s goal is to vaccinate all long-term care residents and staff by Jan. 14, 2021.
“Our intent is within the next 30 days we’re going to beat this, because 30 days is too long,” Justice said. “We were the first in the nation to step up and test all the people in our nursing homes … we want to stay right on top of that curve, and we want to be the first again.”
Joining Justice by video for Wednesday’s brief was Todd Jones, president of AMFM Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers. AMFM owns 18 nursing homes and rehabilitation centers across the state.
“By Monday evening, the National Guard had delivered all of the vaccines to our in-house pharmacy that is doing all of our vaccinations,” Jones said. “We then turned that around and got them out to the facilities overnight and began vaccinations early (Tuesday). The speed at which this is happening is amazing. We’re hoping to be done before most other states even start.”
Justice read off a list of the COVID-19 deaths since Monday’s briefing. The state reported 61 deaths since Monday, with Tuesday setting a new record for the most deaths reported in one day — 34. The state surpassed 1,000 deaths this week, with a total of 1,039 deaths since March. The vast majority of deaths are people between the ages of 60 and 99. Justice encouraged people not to be skeptical about the vaccine.
“Do you really want to risk all the knowledge, all the science and everything about this and say ‘no, I don’t want to take it,’ versus the possibility of getting (COVID-19) and me sitting here reading your number? It’s not smart,” Justice said.
Justice and the state’s coronavirus response team were some of the first people vaccinated for COVID-19 on Monday evening. Justice said aside from a sore arm, he was feeling fine and encouraged the public to take the vaccine when it comes available.
“It hadn’t hurt me a bit in the world. I felt great,” Justice said. “If this vaccine becomes available, please — all the people out there in the State of West Virginia — get vaccinated.”
Steven Allen Adams can be reached at [email protected]
