CHARLESTON — During his briefing Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice was joined by members of West Virginia’s Pandemic Response Leadership Team, including State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad and Joint Interagency Task Force Director Jim Hoyer, who discussed the recent approval of COVID-19 vaccines for use in children as young as 6 months old.
“We want to remind everyone that choosing vaccinations for our youngest age group in West Virginia is very important,” Dr. Amjad said. “Young people still get sick, they can end up in the hospital. So we encourage you to get your children vaccinated. Even if a child has had COVID-19 in the past, they should still get vaccinated. We know it can help reduce reinfections.”
Hoyer announced that over 17,000 additional vaccine doses have been ordered and are expected to arrive in West Virginia before the end of the month to help manage any increase in demand with the new authorization for the youngest age group.
“Vaccines are now offered and becoming increasingly available in physician’s offices, pediatrician’s offices, local health departments, community health centers, hospitals, and pharmacies,” Hoyer said. “Please remember children ages 3 and younger cannot receive a vaccine from the pharmacy. You would have to visit one of the other sites mentioned.”
The West Virginia COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator has been updated to account for children ages 6 months and older now being eligible to receive the vaccine.
“We continue to work hard to educate people about the value of the vaccine, particularly as new variants are discovered,” Hoyer said. “The Governor continues to press us to do our best to protect West Virginians.”
Over the past month, 4,500 West Virginians opted to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
CASE NUMBERS & VACCINE/BOOSTER INFO
On Wednesday, Gov. Justice reported that there are now 1,882 active cases of COVID-19 statewide, up by 27 cases since the Governor’s previous briefing Wednesday last week. You may view West Virginia’s COVID-19 Dashboard, which has links to a number of Coronavirus resources, by clicking here.
