Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia Has Covid-19, His Office Says.

U.S.|The politician of West Virginia comes down with Covid-19.

• Jan. 12, 2022Updated 10:55 a.m. ET

Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia has tested affirmative for the coronavirus and is feeling “extremely unwell,” his bureau announced connected Tuesday night.

While the politician is vaccinated and boosted, his bureau said successful a statement, helium awoke connected Tuesday feeling congested, and soon developed a headache and fever. He took a accelerated trial that gave a antagonistic result, but his symptoms worsened, including a precocious fever and what Mr. Justice described arsenic “extremely elevated” humor unit and bosom rate. He past underwent a P.C.R. trial connected Tuesday evening, and erstwhile that trial came backmost positive, helium began receiving a people of monoclonal antibody treatment, the governor’s bureau said.

The connection did not bespeak which variant of the microorganism Mr. Justice, a Republican, had. Many monoclonal antibody treatments developed earlier the quality of the now-dominant Omicron variant are ineffective against it; those that bash enactment against Omicron are successful constricted supply crossed the country.

“I person afloat assurance that Governor Justice volition retrieve quickly, and it’s due to the fact that helium chose to person the Covid-19 vaccine and his booster shot,” Dr. Clay Marsh, the dean of wellness sciences astatine West Virginia University and the state’s coronavirus czar, said successful the statement. “Without the immunity afforded by those vaccines, his result could beryllium overmuch worse.”

The affirmative trial effect came conscionable earlier the politician was to springiness the yearly State of the State code to the West Virginia legislature, which volition present beryllium delivered successful written form.

“While I was amazed that my trial results came backmost positive, I’m thankful to the Lord supra that I’ve been vaccinated, I’ve been boosted, and that I person an unthinkable enactment system, particularly my loving family,” Mr. Justice said.

Though West Virginia acceptable up a sweepstakes to promote vaccinations, revolving astir Mr. Justice’s favored Baby Dog, the authorities lags overmuch of the country, with lone a small much than fractional the colonisation afloat vaccinated. The mean fig of caller cases reported successful West Virginia each time has astir tripled successful the past 2 weeks, and is higher present than astatine immoderate erstwhile constituent successful the pandemic. Nearly 1 successful 5 coronavirus tests reported to the authorities are coming backmost positive.

The surge has strained infirmary staffing to its limits. Members of the West Virginia National Guard are grooming to assistance successful hospitals wherever staffing shortages are peculiarly dire. Since the pandemic began, 5,452 West Virginians person died of Covid-19.