MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — There is a growing concern among some residents in Berkeley County that vaccines are not being distributed equitably among counties.
In a social media post Thursday, one Musselman High School mother encouraged residents to “contact the Governor’s office and ask why our region is not being supplied adequate vaccine for our population.”
Data from the state Department of Health and Human Resources shows an apparent disparity. Monongalia County, with a population of around 106,000 has been able to fully vaccinate 17,441 residents, or 16.5%. Berkeley County, with 120,000 residents, has only been able to fully vaccinate about 8,000, or 6.8%.
Berkeley/Morgan County Health Departments Director Bill Kearns told the Panhandle News Network Thursday his department is receiving lots of vaccine doses now but not enough people are signing up.
Kanawha’s rate stands at 18.3%. Its per capita vaccination rate comes in at nearly three times that of Berkeley County, even though they are two of the most populated counties in the state.
In the rest of the Panhandle, out of 57,146 residents, Jefferson County has been able to fully vaccinate just shy of 3,000 giving the county a vaccination rate of 5.3%.
Morgan County has been able to fully vaccinate just shy of 1,500 of its nearly 18,000, giving it a vaccination rate of 8.3%.