As we mark the end of the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we pause to look back at what we have all been through. Who would have thought we would have endured a deadly virus affecting so many of us? Yet here we are.
It has truly been a team effort, including federal, state, county, and local partners. So many colleagues have stood up to do what needed to be done, to serve our fellow West Virginians. By working together, we have managed to do our best, given what we knew at the time with the resources we had. For that, we owe our gratitude to countless individuals.
We continue to move forward with our day-to-day operations - Coronavirus-related and otherwise - with the hope that the virus will soon transition to becoming endemic. We encourage everyone to stay the course, following the CDC for the most up-to-date guidance: www.cdc.gov/covid19.
With approximately 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in West Virginia thus far, free clinics are still being offered across the state. You'll find dates, locations, and much more here: https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/Vaccine.aspx. If you have questions, please call the COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line at 833-734-0965.
For your convenience, free COVID-19 testing locations are searchable by county on both a map and in list form: https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.
Finally, there's a wealth of frequently updated resources on the WVDHHR COVID-19 site: www.coronavirus.wv.gov. For additional information, the COVID-19 Hotline (800-887-4304) is available to field inquiries, now approaching 70,000 calls since it began.
While we never would have believed the arduous journey that we would all undertake in the early part of this decade, we are hopefully optimistic for what the third year may bring.
Be safe and be well!