CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice said Monday the state is ready to react when the federal Centers for Disease Control approves COVID-19 vaccinations for children between the ages of 12 and 15.
“There’s 78,000 of them (12 to 15 year-olds) in West Virginia and we’re ready to go,” Justice said during his media briefing Monday at the state capitol.
It’s believed the CDC will issue the approval some time early this week.
Justice called on adults to get the kids to vaccination clinics that will be scheduled in schools and other locations.
“Help us get those kids vaccinated,” Justice said. “Those kids need protected. You need protected. The side effects they could possibly get from this (COVID-19), they, in every way, need to get vaccinated.”
State InterAgency Task Force on Vaccinations Director Jim Hoyer said earlier Monday on MetroNews “Talkline” the state is prepared for the younger population.
“We’ve got county school systems that have already done surveys, they’ve got their numbers. We’ve got counties like Kanawha County that already have clinics tentatively set up and ready to go,” Hoyer said.
He said the clinics will be used in an attempt to draw in older residents.
“Our clinics will be opened up not just to 12 to 15-year-olds but to 16-to-18 as well as any family member that wants to come,” Hoyer said.
The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department plans to go to every middle and high school in its county.
“We started the plan to be very aggressive. We want to go into the schools. Every middle school, every high school,” KCHD Executive Director Dr. Sherri Young told MetroNews affiliate WCHS Radio. “We know what we need logistically, we know what it is going to look like once we get to the schools. The school system is now used to our operating system so that we can get in there, be efficient and get everything we need to be done.”
KCHD and partners will have a large vaccination clinic for the 12 to 15-year-olds this coming Saturday at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
The department will also offer vaccinations at Kanawha County Schools’ “Summer Academy” June 7-30.
James Hoyer, Director of the Joint Interagency Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, joins @HoppyKercheval to discuss delivering shots to children under 16. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nDJuy pic.twitter.com/O7s8iuLuzE
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) May 10, 2021
Meanwhile, Hoyer said the the first primary care providers who signed up for vaccines will be picking them up beginning Wednesday. He said other doctors are registering with the state.
“What are data is showing us is those people who still have not made the decision to get the vaccine yet want to talk to a trusted health care provider.” Hoyer said.
Vaccination Reward Choice
Gov. Justice gave another update Monday on his plan to reward those between 16-35 who have been vaccinated. He said they’ll be given a choice between a $100 savings bond or a gift card.
“We can go where the people can get a savings bond or you can go the other way where you can go straight with a gift card,” Justice said.
He said the savings bond will end up being an electronic issuance.
“We’ll set up how all of that will work. We’re going to give people the flexibility of going one of two ways,” Justice said.
Justice’s office is still working out the details.