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W.Va. to ask CDC’s permission to administer fourth COVID vaccine dose

CHARLESTON – West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday state officials will send a letter to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seeking permission to offer a fourth COVID vaccine dose to those in the state.

Under West Virginia’s plan, the state would provide the shots to those who had their last booster more than four months ago, are over the age of 50, have compromising health conditions or who are considered essential workers. Among these would be first responders, grocery store workers and hospital employees, according to Justice.

Healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic would be a focus, as hospital staffing could become a greater concern than the availability of hospital beds, state officials said Thursday.

“It will save a bunch, bunch, bunch more lives,” Justice said. “Second to that, we’re going to end up with a run on our hospitals that you can’t imagine.

“This omicron virus is potent as a superspreader,” he added, “and we absolutely are going to have people sitting outside hospitals in their cars that have had a stroke or heart attack and can’t get into the hospital. We’re going to have more and more of that.”

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