West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice launched a plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the delta variant without reimplementing any restrictions on people or businesses.
There are three aspects to the plan – a statewide antibody testing program, a fortification of supplies and resources and more frequent news conferences. West Virginia had 100 active delta variant cases as of Thursday, which was a 132% increase from Tuesday.
“This variant is different,” Justice said in a statement. “It is much, much more contagious. …In my stomach, I believe and I feel that the enemy is coming. And that enemy is this delta variant. We’ve got to do something, and we’ve got to do something really fast.”
Residents in long-term care facilities and any people 60 years old or older who have received a COVID-19 vaccine more than six months ago will be able to participate in the state’s new antibody testing program, which is called the Booster Battlefield Assessment. The state will test the antibody levels of people to determine whether they need another booster shot because some studies have shown a reduction in antibodies over that course of time. They would receive the third shot when such shots become available.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the effectiveness of the vaccine declines over time, about 6% every two months, in an interview with CNBC. Israel has begun to provide a third booster shot for the elderly and West Virginia’s program would be the first in the United States.
“With this Booster Battlefield Assessment program, we think that we can gather very valuable information that we can share with the CDC and the FDA – hopefully working hand in glove with the vaccine manufacturers – to be able to demonstrate real-world data in the U.S. that we may be able to use to benefit our population; to protect them from getting sick and dying,” Dr. Clay Marsh, the West Virginia coronavirus czar, said in a statement.
Secondly, the governor directed the Joint Interagency Task Force to evaluate the state’s supply of personal protective equipment, hospital staffing numbers, hospital bed availability, long-term care facility staffing and preventative measures and antibody treatment levels across the state.
“We’re moving proactive and will be doing a foundational emergency planning program,” Justice said. “We need to be ready because this delta variant is here. We have 100 cases now and we know more will be coming in the days ahead. I’ve been advised by top medical professionals that, over the next few weeks, this thing is going to get significantly worse.”
Third, the governor intends to hold more frequent COVID-19 briefings to provide updates and keep the public informed. Currently, Justice holds two news conferences per week, but intends to increase it to three per week.
