West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tests positive for COVID-19, experiencing 'moderate' symptoms
Impact of West Virginia governor testing positive for COVID-19
Many West Virginians have opted against getting vaccinated themselves. According to Mayo Clinic, just 55.5 percent of the state’s population is fully vaccinated, whereas populations in nearby Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. come in at 71, 68.6, and 68.2 percent vaccinated, respectively.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has tested positive for COVID-19.
Justice, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, said in a statement that he is isolating at home and experiencing "moderate" symptoms, including a high fever as well as "extremely elevated" blood pressure and heart rate.
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Dr. Clay Marsh, the state COVID-19 czar, was also quoted in the statement as saying he has full confidence that Justice will recover quickly.
"Without the immunity afforded by those vaccines, his outcome could be much worse," said Marsh, who is also the vice president and executive dean for health sciences at West Virginia University.
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Nevertheless, many West Virginians have opted against getting vaccinated themselves. According to Mayo Clinic, just 55.5 percent of the state’s population is fully vaccinated, whereas populations in nearby Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. come in at 71, 68.6, and 68.2 percent vaccinated, respectively.
Wednesday evening in Charles Town, FOX 5 spoke with several people about why they’d chosen not to get the shots.
"I’m not vaccinated because I got it about a year and a half ago, and I haven’t been sick since," explained Marek Pollard.
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Others said they’ve chosen not to be vaccinated because they know people who are vaccinated, yet still have gotten COVID and become very sick.