MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — There is a growing concern among some residents in Berkeley County that vaccines are not being distributed equitably among counties.
In a social media post Thursday, one Musselman High School mother encouraged residents to “contact the Governor’s office and ask why our region is not being supplied adequate vaccine for our population.”
Data from the state DHHR shows the disparity. Monongalia County, with a population of around 106 thousand has been able to fully vaccinate 17,441 residents, or 16.5 percent. Berkeley County, with 14 thousand more residents, has only been able to fully vaccinate about 8-thousand residents, or 6.8 percent.
Kanawha’s rate stands at 18.3 percent. Its per capita vaccination rate comes in at nearly three times that of Berkeley County, even though they are two of the most populated counties in the state.
In the rest of the Panhandle, out of 57,146 residents, Jefferson County has been able to fully vaccinate just shy of 3,000 giving them a vaccination rate of 5.3 percent.
Morgan County has been able to fully vaccinate just shy of 1,500 of its nearly 18-thousand residents, giving it a vaccination rate of 8.3 percent.
Director of the Berkeley/Morgan County Health Departments Bill Kearns tells the Panhandle News Network his department is receiving lots of vaccines now and not enough people are signing up.
Health Departments in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties are partnering with WVU Medicine East to manage appointments. Residents can make an appointment in those two counties at www.wvumedicine.org, specifying either Berkeley or Jefferson County.