A message from WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer:

Parkersburg, W.Va. (December 30, 2020) – “David and I were vaccinated for COVID-19 today. We felt it to be our responsibility to serve as role models for the West Virginia University at Parkersburg community and the community-at-large because of the positions of leadership we are honored to hold in the public trust. We were vaccinated as part of the first group of 10 WVUP employees to receive the vaccine from a group of almost 80 employees who have volunteered. WVUP received 10 doses of the vaccine in Week One and expects to receive 20 doses in Week Two and more doses in future weeks until all employees who desire to take the vaccine have had the opportunity to do so.

WVUP is following all state protocols in administering the vaccine in partnership with the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, and we appreciate their incredible partnership with WVUP in every way since this pandemic began. State authorities tell us that their goal is for the vaccine to be made available to all West Virginians as quickly as possible and as long as the supply continues uninterrupted. Since the great majority of our students will be learning online as we begin the spring semester, the state made it a priority to vaccinate employees first. No employee is being required to take the vaccine. WVUP took into consideration the following factors in prioritizing the list for receiving the vaccine: age, self-disclosed pre-existing medical conditions, and likelihood of a face-to-face work assignment in the near future. According to state authorities, there will be an opportunity for additional WVUP employees to volunteer for the vaccine in the coming weeks. It is my great hope that additional doses will be made available from the state for us to vaccinate volunteer students in the near future. We sincerely thank Governor Jim Justice and Chancellor Sarah Armstrong Tucker for making higher education a priority in assigning doses of the vaccine as WVUP remains open for business in service to its students and to the public, even as our instruction has moved primarily online and most employees are working remotely.

We understand that some people have concerns about the safety of the vaccine. So far, only one-fourth of WVUP’s total employees have volunteered to take the vaccine. David and I do not desire or intend to pressure anyone, but we want to demonstrate that in this moment we place our firm trust in science and affirm with our own status as the first volunteers that we believe the vaccine to be both safe and necessary. WVUP will continue all current COVID-19 protocols including mandatory wearing of masks and social distancing in our facilities until it is safe not to do so. Coupled with the vaccine which will hopefully in time lead toward what public health experts refer to as herd immunity, these protocols are our best protection as a community during what will likely be very challenging months ahead.

Personally, David and I wish to share that David has at least one potentially life-threatening drug allergy and a very high sensitivity to almost all medications. Because of this condition, he was very apprehensive about taking the vaccine because of any possible side effect, but he did it because he feels a responsibility to this community and because we both believe, as public health experts assure us, that any possible side effect of the vaccine is much less likely and much less serious than contracting and spreading the virus. We tell you this because we understand and validate the fear and apprehension that exists both around contracting this disease and around the vaccine itself. We are happy to report that the vaccine experience went well for both of us with minimal discomfort and no side effects so far. We will continue to update the community on how we feel during the coming days, and while we respect each individual’s right to make a personal decision, we ask you to strongly consider taking the vaccine when it is available to you as an investment in your health and the health of our community.

We are especially proud of the first WVUP volunteers whose confidentiality we will protect. David and I are entrusted with positions of leadership in this community, and we take the honor and the responsibility of those positions seriously. If you have questions about our vaccination experience and would like to speak to us, please reach out to us. We are not qualified to offer medical advice, and nothing expressed herein or in future should be misconstrued as such, but we are happy to bring any comfort and assurance that we can bring by sharing our own experience.”