West Virginia: 85% of people hospitalized for the coronavirus are unvaccinated

West Virginia will end September with its deadliest monthly toll from the coronavirus pandemic ... “We’ve got to act,” Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday. “That’s all there is to it.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Virginia had the nation’s lowest vaccination rate among the states per 100,000 population. And it also had the second-highest rate over the past week in cumulative virus cases per capita. West Virginia hospitals continue to be stressed by the number of COVID-19 patients, including a record 298 in intensive care units. There have been 558 virus-related deaths this month alone. That’s more than the previous four months combined.

September’s toll includes 73 people, or 13% of the monthly total, who were considered breakthrough cases — those were vaccinated but suffered from underlying health conditions. Gov. Justice highlighted the need both for unvaccinated people to get their shots and for those who already have them to consider getting a booster shot.

“We’re going to lose a bunch of more people, West Virginia. There’s no question about that,” Justice said. “Absolutely, for them, for respect for them, I truly believe that all we’ve got, all we can possibly do to stop this is to get vaccinated.”

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-pandemics-floods-west-virginia-0807d75c9536f19aec5f9152adc22c01