CHARLESTON, WV – During Monday’s briefing, Gov. Justice announced that as part of his ongoing initiative to get more younger residents vaccinated, West Virginia will begin offering a $100 savings bond to each person from 16 to 35 years old who chooses to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“We have vetted this in every way that we possibly can to be assured that we can use our CARES dollars to do exactly just this,” Gov. Justice said.
The incentive will be retroactive, meaning all West Virginians age 16 to 35 who have already been vaccinated will also receive a $100 savings bond.
“Our kids today probably don’t really realize just how important they are in shutting this thing down,” Gov. Justice said. “I’m trying to come up with a way that’s truly going to motivate them – and us – to get over the hump.”
The Governor went on to say that the goal is to get over 70% of West Virginia’s eligible population vaccinated.
Of the 1.47 million West Virginians who are currently eligible, just 52% have received at least one dose to date, with demand for vaccines dipping in recent weeks.
The Governor noted that there remains plenty of room to increase vaccination totals among West Virginia’s 380,000 16-to-35-year-old residents.
“They’re not taking vaccines as fast as we’d like them to take them,” Gov. Justice said. “If we really want to move the needle, we’ve got to get our younger people vaccinated.”
The Governor added that if approximately 80% of West Virginians age 16 to 35 who have not yet been vaccinated choose to do so, the overall statewide vaccination rate will exceed 70% of the eligible population.
“If we can get to 70%, we’ll shut this virus down,” Gov. Justice said. “If we do that, the masks go away, the hospitalizations go away, and the deaths become minimal.”
Additional information about the initiative will be provided as it becomes available.
ADMINISTRATION OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE RESUMES
Additionally Monday, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia has resumed administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in West Virginia and nationwide was paused two weeks ago upon the recommendation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) out of an abundance of caution.
Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the FDA and the CDC have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume.