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CHARLESTON -- West Virginia's first COVID-19 vaccinations will go to healthcare workers, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, public health officials and first responders, Gov. Jim Justice said Friday.
"There will be a limited supply of the COVID vaccine when it first becomes available," Justice said during his regular COVID-19 briefing. "First and foremost, we've got to protect those that are running our critical health units."
Depending on when approval is granted by the U.S Food and Drug Administration, the state anticipates receiving approximately 60,000 doses of the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer around Dec. 15. Approximately one week later, 26,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine are expected.
After that, the state will have a weekly ordering cap of about 16,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 3,000-5,000 of Moderna's.
Approximately 100,000 West Virginians fall into the groups identified to receive the vaccine in Phase One.
Justice noted that 47 percent of the deaths from COVID-19 in West Virginia -- a total that reached 799 as of Friday morning -- come from nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, so the people who work and live there will be among the first vaccinated.
"We want to aggressively go after and get those folks vaccinated to reduce that terrible loss of life," said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer with the West Virginia National Guard.
The Guard has been assisting with COVID testing events around the state and will continue to do so while pivoting in the coming weeks to administering the vaccine, Justice said
The first vaccines will be allocated to five distribution hubs with ultra-cold storage capabilities in Berkeley, Cabell, Greenbrier, Kanawha and Monongalia counties, state officials said.
"From those locations, the vaccine may be utilized by the receiving facility or additional distribution may be necessary to reach the populations identified as Phase One recipients … as advised by the Joint Interagency Task Force, with assistance by the West Virginia National Guard," said Allison Adler, director of communications for the state Department of Health and Human Resources.
More than 500 additional potential distribution sites have been identified to help scale up distribution, according to a release from the governor's office.
Justice said he's optimistic vaccines can be made available to the general public sooner than later.
"Hopefully … by the middle of March, we will be able to vaccinate almost everyone," he said, adding that was his own estimate, not any sort of official timeline.
The vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna each require two doses administered weeks after the first. For Pfizer, the timeline is 21 days. Moderna's is 28.
The vaccines are not interchangeable, so a person who receives the first dose of one type must get the same type for the second.
"Taking the second dose is what really wraps this thing up to a 95 percent" effective rate, Justice said. "If only one is received, immunity cannot be guaranteed in any way."
Justice encouraged all West Virginians to get vaccinated when they can and said no dangerous side effects have been identified.
"I'll take mine right in front of everybody if that'll help you," he said, echoing a pledge recently made by former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
"Getting the vaccine will improve the health of our communities and get our economy moving again," Justice said.
Receiving the vaccine cannot infect a person with COVID-19, said Dr. Clay Marsh, the state coronavirus czar. They use a man-made genetic sequence that expresses the portion of the virus that allows it to attach to human cells, but not the entire virus itself, he said.
Justice and Marsh both emphasized that even when administration of the vaccines start, people should still continue to practice safety measures such as wearing masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing.
"It is so important that each West Virginian not only get the vaccination … but also protect yourself and each other," Marsh said.
Asked by a member of the media if he would support President-elect Joe Biden's call for 100 days of mask wearing after he takes office, Justice, who recently made wearing masks indoors at public places mandatory, said he hopes the arrival of vaccines means it wouldn't take that long.
"If it takes wearing masks for 100 days to get us across the finish line, who wouldn't be supportive?" he said. "It may very well be that we're going to end up wearing the mask for 200 days. But I don't believe we're going to have to wear the masks for 100 days."
Justice said all options remain on the table for curbing the spread of the virus, with the number of active cases increasing every day for the last week. But he said he is reluctant to make any moves that are more symbolic than they are effective.
"We watch, we listen, we take into account every single aspect of everything," Justice said. "If anyone can really tell me that shutting down 18 hairdressers in a county can really make a significant difference, I'm ready to move."
When bars were closed earlier this year in Monongalia County, that county had a higher spread than other areas. Now, Justice said, the virus is "everywhere" and shutting down certain businesses in one location might just cause patrons to drive to another county.
The governor did say he thinks the Jan. 11 start date for winter sports might have to be pushed back again, but made no official announcement on that front.
Marsh said any mitigation strategy would provide only temporary relief. The keys remain wearing masks, distancing, staying among one's own family and not attending large gatherings, he said.
"I hope to goodness everybody will realize that a public gathering is about the dumbest thing you can do right now," Justice said.