“I really do think the turning point for Southwest Virginia was my dad, who had no underlying health issues. Twenty-five percent of the area’s population has received at least one dose, according to state health data — just a hair over the statewide average of 24 percent. “When it came time to give the covid vaccine, we were ready to go,” she said. “Our philosophy generally has been that vaccine on the shelf isn’t doing anybody any good,” said Alan Levine, Ballad’s president. “They couldn’t pay me to take that shot,” said Dorothy Taulbee, 83, who grew up in a family with 10 children in a Southwest Virginia coal camp.

Source: Washington Post March 21, 2021 23:08 UTC