West Virginia, Arkansas Latest States to Allow All Adults to Get COVID Booster Shots

West Virginia and Arkansas became the latest U.S. states Monday to permit all adults to get booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Associated Press reported. The states join California, Colorado and New Mexico, which all enacted new policies in the hopes of curbing surges caused by end-of-year holiday gatherings. Only people aged 65 and older, younger people who work at high-risk jobs and those who have underlying health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to the virus are recommended to get booster shots in federal guidelines, the AP reported. Gov. Jim Justice has been a strong supporter of getting booster shots into all arms, regardless of age and risk. Though the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources' website contains federal guidelines for the booster doses, Justice said at a news conference Monday that "I absolutely believe that if you're 18 years of age, you can get your booster shot." "I think that is absolutely the message that I've been trying to get out to people," Justice said. Arkansa Gov. Asa Hutchinson called the previous guidelines for the booster shot "somewhat confusing and limiting," and encouraged everyone 18 and over to get the booster. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order Friday broadening booster shot availability in the state. The move came as rising infection rates have overwhelmed some hospitals, according to Dr. David Scrase, the state health department's acting secretary. "COVID-19 is incredibly opportunistic and it's our job to ensure that the virus has fewer and fewer opportunities to spread," Scrase said. "If it's time for you to get a booster, please do so right away." California Public Health Officer Tomás Aragón sent a letter to local health providers and officials last week instructing them to "allow patients to self-determine their risk of exposure" and refrain from turning away patients who are 18 and older and have waited six months since their second Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or two months since their one Johnson & Johnson shot. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

West Virginia has the nation's third-oldest population with nearly 20 percent of its 1.79 million residents over age 65. The state also eclipses most others in the percentage of people affected by diabetes, heart disease and obesity. "West Virginia is known to have a lot of residents of high comorbidities," said Dr. Ayne Amjad, the state's health officer. "So most of our population would qualify. I would agree that anyone who needs to get their booster shot needs to go out there and get it." COVID-19 hospitalizations in West Virginia have dropped considerably since peaking at 1,012 in late September. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41 percent of West Virginia's 1.8 million residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 49 percent have had at least one dose. The CDC says the state's rate of about 89,000 doses administered per 100,000 population is the nation's worst. Officials with West Virginia's coronavirus task force claim that the state's percentage is actually higher and that the CDC reports only part of the data.

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