(Graphic Illustration/MetroCreative)
CHARLESTON — The governor of West Virginia has yet to get the latest COVID-19 shot, but he’s thinking about it.
“The bottom line is just this, it’s your choice whether or not to take the vaccine,” Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday. “That’s all there is to it.”
The governor said he’s always been respectful of those who decide not to get a vaccination.
“But I would always do what I’ve done in the past and that is to urge you, urge you to take the vaccine,” Justice said during his Thursday press briefing with reporters. “At the same time I would tell you we’re going to stand rock solid, rock solid, with the fact that if you choose not to do so, totally understand.”
Justice also said he would “especially urge the elderly to think about this.” Winter is approaching when the virus cranks up and gets the worst, he said.
It’s an individual decision, Justice said.
“And I’ll do the same,” he said. “I have not had my booster vaccine yet, but I’m going to look at it and make the best decision I can make.”
The latest shot has been adapted to the circulating strain of COVID-19, according to James A. Hoyer, the retired general who was the director of the interagency task force on vaccines during the pandemic. With the end of the public health emergencies, vaccine distribution has returned to normal methods, he said.
“It is important to us as individuals to get these updated shots,” Hoyer said.
Hoyer said in his situation, he has had recent family-related health issues.
“It is exceptionally important to me to get that updated COVID-19 shot that has been adapted so I can better protect myself, just as with the flu vaccine that is adapted each year for various flu strains,” he said.
The West Virginia COVID-19 vaccine information line is 833 734-0965.
The Department of Health and Human Resources on Wednesday reported 21 deaths from COVID-19 in the past week in West Virginia, the highest weekly death toll since March 29 when 32 deaths were recorded in the prior week, however, the numbers are a fraction of the previous pandemic peaks.
The higher numbers will continue with colder weather approaching, Dr. Sherri Young, interim secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources, said.
Data collected over more than three years of the pandemic has made predicting trends, hospitalizations and deaths easier, she said.
Besides precautions, such as getting tested if symptoms warrant it and staying home if the virus is caught then wearing a mask in public, staying up-to-date with vaccines is important, Young said.
“This is our opportunity to make a difference,” she said.
Jess Mancini can be reached at [email protected].
