Pfizer Vaccine

Gov. Jim Justice announced in a press conference Friday that 30 of the state’s 55 county school systems are now requiring masking of students, faculty and staff regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

The approval replaces the emergency use authorizations granted last December and could make it easier for employers, the military and universities to mandate vaccination.

On this West Virginia Morning, we bring you three stories about the live-saving COVID-19 vaccines. First, our health reporter June Leffler speaks with infectious disease experts who say the vaccines are safe. Then, we bring you two stories about vaccine hesitancy: how vaccine hesitancy is hindering the vaccination campaign in the Ohio Valley and how Virginia Tech researchers are tackling misinformation.

On this West Virginia Morning, we visit Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown where the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, developed and rolled out on a record timeline, are being administered to healthcare workers. Also, we hear from an infectious disease expert in Huntington to understand the impact of this major development in science.