West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice continued awarding grant prizes to schools with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state, providing three more schools with $50,000 checks Wednesday.
The governor, joined by his bulldog, traveled to the schools to announce the winnings and conducted award ceremonies. The three schools to receive the funds were Pratt Elementary School in Kanawha County, Hurricane High School in Putnam County and Hite Saunders Elementary School in Cabell County.
Schools were allowed to apply to compete for the grants through the Department of Education’s I Got Vaxxed Competition. The schools submitted vaccination data, which was verified by the department. In total, 77 public and private schools applied for the grants, but the state is only awarding 12 grants. To date, 10 of the winners have been announced.
According to the governor’s office, Pratt Elementary School intends to use its grant to purchase a sidewalk cover, install an electronic school marquee and help furnish a “down area” for students. Hurricane High School intends to use its funds to provide students with a more extravagant prom in 2022 and hold an event for families. Hite Saunders Elementary School intends to use its grant to provide students with a full day of science experiments, several educational field trips, sensory materials for students and improvements on playground equipment.
Justice has tried to boost the state’s COVID-19 vaccination numbers with monetary incentives and prizes, but West Virginia continues to have one of the lowest rates in the country. To increase vaccination among students following the CDC’s approval for those aged five through 11, the governor launched the third round of his lottery for vaccinated people, which is now aimed at children. Any person who has at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine between the ages of five and 18 are eligible to win prizes, some of which include scholarships.
More than 60% of West Virginia adults are fully vaccinated and nearly 70% have received at least one dose. The numbers are higher for older adults: more than 70% of those aged 50 or older are fully vaccinated and more than 84% have received at least one dose. Children aged five and older have received the vaccine at lower rates than adults, but the approval for younger children only recently went into effect.
Death or serious illness from COVID-19 is rare for children and young adults, but is higher if he or she has a compromised immune system or other health-related issue. The risks increase as a person gets older.
