Thread by @BradMcElhinny

Justice begins and says he's sorry for being late "but we've got lots and lots and lots of moving parts."

https://twitter.com/BradMcElhinny/status/1346851853905113089

#WV now at 1,481 deaths. Justice reading the ages and counties of the most recent to be recorded.

There were 39 recorded today and 46 yesterday

dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages…

Justice pauses: "My goodness, this is just really sad. Just really, really sad."

Justice concludes reading the deaths. "Incredible. It's unbelievable. And please, please, please keep 'em in your prayers. We can't let 'em just be numbers."

818 in the hospital

217 in ICU

90 on vent

"All of our counties are in the red and the orange."

Justice says he wants to deviate to talk about "things that are troubling to me but at the same time rewarding to me and an honor to me."

He mentions The Greenbrier party issue. "But then you have people who are promoting the cast of doubt."

He now is describing some tough decisions he made over the past year.

Justice: "Today we're embarking on a new operation" that he dubbed "Save Our Wisdom."

He mentions the current effort to vaccinate those 80 and older.

"Now we're going to back right up into the 70 year olds. And the 60 year olds."

Now he talks about the return to school five days a week and people who are upset.

"We lose so much focus with what we really should dial into."

"I'll get back to The Greenbrier in just a second."

Justice: "I'm not going to say this again after today. I want you to know there is no way I'm going to do anything in this capacity in this job to benefit me."

Brad, where is this going?
Hey guess what, I'm not sure

Back to The Greenbrier. "From the standpoint of The Greenbrier, I have been accused often of running my family businesses. Well, I'm going to tell you I run your state as your governor."

Justice: "I had no clue. You may throw rocks at me if you choose to do so. But I was lying in my bed, watching the ball drop and listening to J-Lo sing."

Justice: "What's the difference in me owning some stock in General Motors and General Motors doing something wrong, and I'm supposed to do something about it."

Paul Harvey reference.
How often do you get Paul Harvey AND J-Lo, folks?

Anyway, Justice's point is, he's derned if he do and derned if he don't.

The buck stops somewhere. Not clear where

Justice: "I'll never do anything but tell you the truth."

Justice: "I have instructed those people at The Greenbrier to continue their investigation in every way and if disciplining is in order to take those actions and take them now."

Justice: "I read 85 names today and absolutely, it's serious, serious stuff."

Justice on return to classrooms: "Without any question we should be going back to school."

Justice: "I will continue to talk to our educators, but I will not be bullied around by our teachers unions."

Justice readdresses question about the party at The Greenbrier vs. youth sports not playing until March.

"Without any question, regarding sports, today, somebody answer this simple question. Please, lay aside what's going on at The Greenbrier or on Planet Mongo...

"Do you really believe we ought to be playing inside indoor sports?"

J-Lo
Paul Harvey
Planet Mongo

Justice: "I understand without any question how bad we're hurting across the state."

Justice: "I'm sorry that took so long. Let me go back to some other things and finish this up."

Justice returns to "Operation Save Our Wisdom"

Justice: "The ongoing supply of the vaccine through our local health departments is out there."

Justice describes 10 vaccination clinics across the state for 80+ population.

I'm not sure how those will work. I was hunting around for a web page or press release but haven't immediately found it.

Justice: "We can't let the wisdom just die away."

Justice compares the balance of vaccinating elderly/everyone else to Roads to Prosperity/fixing potholes

Vaccinations for teachers and staff begins Thursday. That scheduling info goes from Department of Education to superintendents to the teachers and staff

moment of levity: governor calls out Jim Hoyer, who retired yesterday from the National Guard for wearing a sweater vest on the Zoom.

Hoyer responds that his wife picked out his civilian attire

Justice to Hoyer: "Bless your wife; God bless her for doing this for me today."

#sweatervest

J-Lo
Paul Harvey
Planet Mongo
#sweatervest

Justice now says he's got to hurry because there's a 1:30 call with the White House about covid relief

Justice addresses Old Glory flying upside down atop the state Capitol yesterday. He says a General Services employee made a mistake. "This gentleman feels bad."

"We all make mistakes."

Going straight to questions. First from @cyoungIII, who wants more detail about vaccination clinics

Justice: "General. Go."

Hoyer says the clinics will be in cooperation with local health departments, using an appointment process. "It prevents people from showing up and then us running out of vaccines."

Hoyer says there's an aim for 650 vaccines at each clinic location, hoping to increase the amounts as more supplies become available.

Justice: "We're really moving on this and everything." He describes one county, and thinks it's Tucker, that has completed vaccination of its local 80+ population

Sounds like we have some audio probs

Q from @stevenadamswv to DHHR: Why does the state use both confirmed and probable for percent positivity. Does that make the number look worse than it used to?

DHHR Secretary Crouch says a change was made on testing for accuracy. "In the essence of being more accurate, we've add

Q from @KennieBassWCHS: How will Justice talk to teachers? Will he go through unions at all?

Justice: "It's almost like do you want your eggs scrambled or fried, and it's yes."

Justice: "I have delivered in every way to that community of people, and everything."

Justice targets teachers unions for supporting his General Election opponent Ben Salango. "There's no point in me talking to the union leaders."

"Watch the news. Watch the news." -- which is a weird thing to hear

I asked about priorities and efficiency for the vaccine distribution, especially to senior citizens

Justice: "A lot of wrinkles. A lot of moving parts."

Hoyer describes coordination at the joint task force and how it juggles the various segments of society that need vaccinations

Hoyer: "This is clearly a balancing act."

Hoyer: "We're doing it the way we think best fits the State of West Virginia and trying to create the balance the governor asked us to do."

Reporter Aaron Williams of WBOY asks the governor about counties choosing to deviate from his 5-days-a-week plan.

Justice: "We want local control. We do want that. But I can tell you Superintendent Burch is talking to these people and everything."

Justice says "it was brought to me" that superintendents around the state favored back-to-classrooms.

Justice wraps it up: "I hope we got enough questions and everything. Forgive me for all we had to discuss. I've got to go jump on this call."

On the return to classrooms/delayed school sports: "Just give us time."

"We're not even going back to school until the 19th," which is in less than two weeks.

"Everybody's working as hard as we possibly can. Thank y'all so much."

It's a little surprising there's a White House coronavirus call at this very moment since Mike Pence is... wishing he was on Planet Mongo with Paul Harvey and J-Lo.