Majority leader in the Senate who is also a pulmonologist: “The vaccine works”

Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, who is also a pulmonologist, today used his professional experiences in treating patients to urge West Virginia to get vaccinated against covid-19.

“I’m telling you vaccines work. They keep people safe. They keep people out of the hospital, ”said Takubo, R-Kanawha.

A pulmonologist specializes in the respiratory system. Covid-19 can lead to pulmonary complications such as pneumonia. Severe cases may require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machines, which pump blood outside the body for oxygenation so that the damaged heart and lungs can rest.

Takubo begged people to seek advice from trusted medical professionals.

“Be careful what you read on social media, what you read on the Internet. Listen to your local suppliers. They see it first hand, ”he said.

“The only thing I see is that the vaccine is working. Eighty-eight to 95% of admitted patients are not vaccinated. “

Takubo appeared today during a pandemic briefing with Gov. Jim Justice as the state’s covid count continues to worsen.

West Virginia reported 27,607 active cases of covid-19 today.

The state surpassed its record number of hospitalizations with 852. The previous high number was 818 last January.

Of those currently hospitalized, the state says 83.6% – or 712 – are not vaccinated.

The state also continues to surpass its previous high number of cases requiring hospitalization, now at 267. The previous high figure was 219 in January.

And West Virginia continues to surpass its previous high number of patients requiring ventilators. That number is now 162. The previous high a few months ago was 104.

“The people who die mainly, the people mainly on ventilators, are unvaccinated individuals,” Takubo said.

Takubo acknowledged that some people may be concerned about the side effects of the vaccines, but said he didn’t feel that way in the hospital.

“Show me a hospital overrun with vaccine wounds. I have not yet taken care of a person injured by the vaccine, ”he said.

And although some people view covid as a disease with a high survival rate, Takubo pointed to the lingering health issues that are possible even for those who recover.

“Even if you can survive covid, it worries me for 2, 3, 5 years, what will be the effect of this covid infection?” he said.

Dr Clay Marsh, West Virginia coronavirus response advisor, agreed people should be careful as the highly infectious delta variant increases.

We have seen an explosive growth of the delta variant of covid-19, ”he said.

Marsh added, “If you are infected with covid and are at a risky age, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of receiving an antibody infusion.”

The governor of justice again urged vaccination throughout the regular briefing.

And he again said he was against imposing precautions such as vaccinations or face coverings. Instead, the governor said he preferred to try to persuade people.

Of West Virginia’s vaccine-eligible population, 59.7 percent are considered fully vaccinated.

state figures show that the seven-day immunization average in West Virginia has generally been declining recently.

The seven-day average was 1,747 on August 31.

It rose to 1,645 on September 3.

It was 1407 on September 6.

Then 1338 on September 8.

And 1,297 last Friday.

And 1,246 on Sunday.

“Why the hell can’t we just listen and on a voluntary basis – why can’t we just go get the shot?” Why on earth can’t we do this on a voluntary basis? Said Justice, who urges vaccination in briefings broadcast live three days a week while handing out prizes to those vaccinated on another day.

“No one is pointing a gun at anyone’s head. No one is saying that we have to do it. But really and really why can’t we do it on a voluntary basis. Then we can stop all the rhetoric. We can stop all the rhetoric of saying ‘by God, I don’t.’ It’s my freedom. We don’t need to have this rhetoric if we are just going to listen to common sense. We will make our own decisions. We won’t need warrants. But what we hope and pray is that we will have such a high percentage of people who have stepped up and been vaccinated that we can stop this thing. We can stop this dreaded killer.