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As the COVID-19 vaccine began to be administered this week to healthcare workers, emergency responders and other critical workers, state officials have announced what Phase 2 of vaccine distribution will look like in the Mountain State.
Current estimates have Phase 2 -- where the vaccine starts getting to the general populace -- starting as early as March 2021, Gov. Jim Justice said earlier this week.
Meanwhile, COVID positive cases and deaths continue to climb, with three more deaths reported Friday in Marshall County and four more in Ohio County.
As in Phase 1, Phase 2 of the vaccinations has been divided into subsections based on those at highest risk.
Phase 2A will be prioritized by age, with initial emphasis placed on those age 60 and older. Vaccinations will begin with the oldest of West Virginia’s population and work backward. The next priority goes to those 50 and older with pre-existing conditions. Those people will need a note from a physician verifying those conditions.
Dr. Clay Marsh, West Virginia’s COVID-19 czar and West Virginia University’s vice-president and executive dean for health sciences, said focusing early on the state’s older and more at-risk populations is crucial.
“We know people 70 and above account for 77 percent of the deaths we have in West Virginia,” Marsh said. “And when you look at people in those age categories, their risk of dying, compared to those 18 to 29 years old by the CDC, is 220 to 630 times higher.
“Then we want to look for people with pre-existing health conditions,” he added, “but instead of us trying to determine which pre-existing health condition is more important than another, we’re going to ask their healthcare providers to write an order to get them into this higher-level category, so that we’re very inclusive, but we’re also selective.”
Phase 2B will include healthcare and critical workers not vaccinated during Phase 1C and 1D. Priority there will go to those age 50 and older.
At Phase 2C, all West Virginians who want vaccinated will be able to do so.
“Phase 2A, 2B and 2C will come very quickly,” Justice said, “so let’s just stay at it in every way.”
The Marshall County Health Department on Friday evening announced that two 75-year-old men and a 50-year-old man had died from COVID-19. All three were hospitalized at the time of their passing. That marks 43 COVID-related deaths in Marshall County since the pandemic began.
The county also reported 12 new confirmed positive and nine new probable cases Friday, bringing the county's totals to 1,508 confirmed cases, 257 probable cases and eight hospitalizations.
The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department reported the deaths of three people who were residents of long-term care facilities at the time of their passing and one who was hospitalized at the time of their passing. There have now been 37 COVID-related deaths in Ohio County since the pandemic began.
The department also announced 49 new positive cases, bringing Ohio County's total to 2,306.
All four Northern Panhandle counties were "red" on the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Friday COVID-19 alert map. Hancock County had an infection rate of 120.00 cases per 100,000 residents and a percent positivity of 13.48. Brooke County's infection rate was 104.84 with a percent positivity of 12.37. Ohio County's infection rate was 72.10 with a percent positivity of 9.60. Marshall County's infection rate was 59.42 with a percent positivity of 10.09.