Trending
ELKINS -- The Randolph County Health Department confirmed Monday that more than 1,000 COVID-19 vaccinations will be administered in Elkins this week.
Bonnie Woodrum, the Randolph-Elkins Health Department's infectious disease specialist, told the Inter-Mountain Monday that both first and second doses will be among those distributed at the Phil Gainer Community Center on Wednesday and Thursday.
A total of 850 of those vaccine shots will be second doses, while 200 are first vaccinations. Appointments are already full for the vaccinations, she added.
"We are doing second doses for people who were vaccinated on Jan. 13 and 14," said Woodrum. "We have only a few doses of vaccine we're being allotted this week and those appointment slots are already taken."
West Virginia has been in the spotlight recently for being one of the top states in the nation in terms of vaccine distribution. Woodrum said she is pleased with the way things have gone locally and isn't surprised by the success the Mountain State has had during this trying time.
"We had a retired Air Force colonel who was a logistics man in our clinic, and he said we should report our system to the governor because this is the way everyone should be doing it," Woodrum said. "We're doing it in West Virginia because we are used to making do. We never have it ideal here, so we make it work. We do the best we can do with what we have at the time."
Woodrum also said it's crucial that people who have been vaccinated continue to take precautions when out in public.
"We have to train people to know that even after they're vaccinated, they still have to take precautions, because they can pick up the virus and be carriers," Woodrum said. "The vaccine should keep them from getting sick but they can still carry it to other people. That's the reason we still wear masks and take precautions."
The good news this week is that the active case numbers in Randolph County continue to drop. There were 207 active cases in the county last week and 245 the week before. The total number this week stands at 147.
"When we were up over 300 a few weeks ago, it feels better to be where we are at today," said Woodrum. "But it changes by the minute and those bad numbers we had I believe were from the Christmas rush. And then we had the outbreak at the jail also."
Davis Medical Center currently has six patients in the hospital with COVID-19.
"Overall hospitalizations are slightly lighter this week," said Davis Medical Center Liaison Officer Hollis Lipscomb. "We have capacity in both the ICU and Med Surg. All of our services are open and looking to the end of this."