CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said the state expects to get its first doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Dec. 15 if the shot receives emergency use authorization from federal regulators.
The governor said the state’s initial allocation of 60,000 doses from Pfizer and 26,000 from Moderna will go to health care workers and people in long-term care centers. West Virginia has had 799 deaths linked to COVID-19 and 47% are of individuals in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, Justice said.
Shipments of the doses are limited weekly. He said the state expects about 21,000 doses total to come weekly in the first phase, with most doses coming from Pfizer.
“We got to get vaccinated quickly to stop this thing,” Justice said at a coronavirus news conference Friday.
Justice said he had a more optimistic timeline than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for when most West Virginians can get a shot, predicting it may be as early as mid-March. First responders and essential workers remain higher on the priority list.
“We’re the oldest state and we’re absolutely the most critically ill state in many ways,” Justice said. “So we’re pushing, I promise you, as hard as we possibly can” for the most doses as possible.
Justice said he would take the vaccine, which requires two doses weeks apart, on camera.
The state reported 10 new deaths linked to COVID-19 and 902 confirmed cases, bringing the total to at least 52,172 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The vast majority of the state’s counties are under the most severe category for infection rate, showing 25 or more new cases per 100,000 residents.
Pfizer expects to gain emergency use authorization for its vaccine on Dec. 10 when the Federal Drug Administration convenes. Moderna could follow the week after. Initial shipments are expected to include 6.4 million doses, but that won’t be enough for all 21 million health care workers in the U.S.
Justice said West Virginia has over 100,000 people that work in health care, live or work in long-term centers, or are first responders and public health officials.
Vaccines will be distributed to five hub sites in the state, expanding to 250 sites where shots will be administered in the early term, Justice said.
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