CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is as soon as once more urging West Virginians to get vaccinated towards COVID-19 because the state continues to interrupt document numbers of hospitalizations associated to the virus.
“We gotta step up, and we gotta step up proper now and we gotta assist our folks,” Justice stated.
The governor cited the state’s regularly growing numbers of hospitalizations, ICU admissions and sufferers on a ventilator as some extent of concern. He stated well being officers within the state are involved that well being care services are on the verge of being overrun because of the rising hospitalizations and, the primary downside they’re dealing with, staffing shortages.
“By overrun, I imply that we may awaken to a state of affairs the place we’re principally rationing care,” Justice stated. “Now, we’re not there at this second, however we must always all notice that we’re in a time limit the place we’re reaching a disaster.”
Within the West Virginia Division of Well being and Human Assets day by day COVID-19 dashboard replace for at this time, Sept. 20, 2021, well being officers report 961 West Virginians are at the moment hospitalized with the virus. Of these sufferers, 287 are within the ICU and 160 are on ventilators. For the hospitalizations, 961 is an all-time pandemic document for the Mountain State and the eighth day in a row that the state has damaged the earlier document.
In an try to assist forestall hospitals from reaching a disaster state of affairs, Justice says state well being officers are branching out from the “Save Our Knowledge” initiative with a brand new “Save Our Care” specializing in hospitals and nursing properties, particularly in the event that they attain some extent of closing some departments resembling elective surgical procedures. State officers say the brand new initiative would assist defend the economics of the hospital by offering a chance for reimbursement.
Justice says the state might be making a process power to evaluation these services for reimbursements. He says the primary purpose is to assist underwrite misplaced bills, present further funding and preserve the services working as easily as potential to supply look after West Virginians. So far as what might be permitted for reimbursement, West Virginia Coronavirus Czar Dr. Clay Marsh says the duty power will work carefully with the services, which can submit their requests to the WV DHHR.
Marsh says the state will present extra particulars on this system in an upcoming briefing.
“We’re shifting once more proper now to make sure the security of our folks. That’s the underside line,” Justice stated. “However we’re additionally shifting to make sure the security of establishments that do unbelievable work, our hospitals, our nursing properties, these people which might be actually on the frontlines actually serving to us.”
The governor can be encouraging services to present state officers suggestions on what they’ll do to assist financially, with staffing or with something wanted to get them by means of the height of the present wave.
“We expect we’re on the peak, and if we’re on the peak, if we are able to make this one other 4 to 6 weeks, or perhaps solely two to 3, issues will get loads higher,” Justice stated.
Based on Justice, the funding for these reimbursement comes from the leftover CARES Act cash and American Rescue Plan {dollars}.
Justice says state well being officers imagine the state could also be hitting the height of the present wave of COVID-19. Well being officers stated one signal of a possible peak could be a drop in energetic circumstances. At present, 21,490 circumstances are at the moment energetic. After hitting a record-setting pandemic excessive of 29,744 energetic circumstances on Thursday, Sept. 16, the state’s energetic circumstances have dropped steadily over the weekend. Well being officers additionally say a complete of 199,521 West Virginians have now recovered from COVID-19.
For native and breaking information, climate alerts, video and extra, obtain the FREE WOWK 13 Information App from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
