CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and other Kanawha County health organizations are shifting their approach to the coronavirus pandemic, starting with vaccination clinics Tuesday at local high schools.
The eight Kanawha County public high schools, Charleston Catholic High School and the University of Charleston will serve as vaccination sites, as officials will administer doses to students 16 years old and older. The clinics come after the health department reported outbreaks at seven institutions over the last week affecting 41 students and three employees.
Dr. Sherri Young, the health department’s executive director and health officer, said when the state vaccinated older residents, active coronavirus cases and hospitalizations decreased.
“It tells that it’s making an impact,” she said. “Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen an increase in that 16 and older demographic.”
Young said school sports are a leading factor in the school outbreaks.
“When we look at the outbreaks, of course, they are going through families and there are some travel-associated cases,” she said. “There are a lot of factors going into seeing these outbreaks in the young numbers.”
The news about the new approach also comes as Kanawha County reaches 300 deaths related to the pandemic.
“In honor of these people, what we need to do is continuing to do what we’ve been doing,” Young said.
“I know that people are excited to go out and on vacations, I know people are excited about having parties, I know a holiday weekend is coming up. Out of honor and respect for these people that have died in this pandemic … we need to be socially distant, we need to avoid large gatherings at this point, we need to get vaccines when they become available to you, we still need to wear masks and wash our hands.”
The state Department of Health and Human Resources reported Monday 6,252 confirmed active cases and 2,638 deaths connected to the pandemic.