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CHARLESTON -- As the COVID-19 vaccine began to be administered this week to health care workers, emergency responders and other critical workers, state officials have announced what Phase 2 of vaccine distribution will look like in the Mountain State.
Current estimates have Phase 2, where the vaccine starts getting to the general population, starting as early as March, Gov. Jim Justice said earlier this week. As in Phase 1, Phase 2 has been divided into subsections based on those at highest risk.
Phase 2A will be prioritized by age, with initial emphasis placed on those age 60 and older. Vaccinations will begin with the oldest of West Virginia's population and work backward. The next priority goes to those 50 and older with pre-existing conditions. Those people will need a note from a physician verifying those conditions.
Focusing early on the state's older and more at-risk populations is crucial, Dr. Clay Marsh, West Virginia's COVID-19 czar and West Virginia University vice-president and executive dean for health sciences, said.
"We know people 70 and above account for 77 percent of the deaths we have in West Virginia," Marsh said. "And when you look at people in those age categories, their risk of dying, compared to those 18-to-29-years old by the Centers for Disease Control, is 220 to 630 times higher.
"Then we want to look for people with pre-existing health conditions, but instead of us trying to determine which pre-existing health condition is more important than another, we're going to ask their healthcare providers to write an order to get them into this higher-level category, so that we're very inclusive, but we're also selective," he said.
Phase 2B will include healthcare and critical workers not vaccinated during Phase 1C and 1D. Priority there will go to those age 50 and older.
At Phase 2C, all West Virginians who want vaccinated will be able to do so.
"Phase 2A, 2B and 2C will come very quickly," Justice said, "so let's just stay at it in every way."