COVID-19 omicron boosters coming to West Virginia
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CHARLESTON -- West Virginia has received the first doses of the new COVID-19 omicron booster, a state official said Friday.
The initial allotment to the state will be around 50,000 doses, which James Hoyer, director of the interagency task force on vaccines, said will grow to more than 100,000 in the next several weeks.
"We should not have any shortage of vaccines," Hoyer said in a pre-recorded message aired during the governor's Friday morning pandemic briefing.
Shots will be administered on a priority basis that first includes residents over 65 and those in long-term care facilities, Hoyer said. Locations where to obtain a shot are available at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine.gov website, however, the website was experiencing problems Friday, he said.
The Centers for Disease Control Thursday approved the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices OK of the updated COVID-19 omicron booster for individuals 12 and older. Residents will be able to obtain them in pharmacies and their local health departments as soon as they receive them, Dr. Ayne Amjad, state health officer, said in a release after the briefing.
The Omicron booster is recommended for those who have completed the primary series, which for most people is the first two shots of Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax and their most recent COVID-19 shot of any kind was at least 2 months ago, Amjad said.
"These boosters replace the original boosters, helping provide better protection against circulating variants," Amjad said. "This comes at a critical time as we head into fall and the start of the respiratory season."
Hoyer also said hospitalizations dropping before 300 on Friday was good news with the coming of the Labor Day holidays this weekend. Health officials believe there could be an upswing in cases caused by increased holiday interactions.
Hospitalizations were at 282 on Friday, Hoyer said. Hospital services begin getting strained at 500 COVID admissions, health officials have previously said.
"This is a positive sign," Hoyer said.
Hopefully, the plateau of cases across the country will soon be in West Virginia, according to Gov. Jim Justice. It's not over yet, he said.
"I promise you this thing is not gone," Justice said.
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.