West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) postponed his State of the State address scheduled for Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19, saying he is "extremely unwell."
In a statement released late Tuesday night, Justice, 70, said he is "thankful to the Lord above that I've been vaccinated, I've been boosted, and that I have an incredible support system, especially my loving family. That being said, I feel extremely unwell at this point, and I have no choice but to my postpone my State of the State address to the legislature." Justice added that his wife, Cathy, tested negative for the virus.
Justice's office said he is experiencing moderate symptoms, including headache, fever, congestion, and coughing. He received a monoclonal antibody treatment and is recovering at home. West Virginia's top COVID-19 adviser, Dr. Clay Marsh, said he has "full confidence that Gov. Justice will recover quickly, and it's because he chose to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and his booster shot."
In an interview Wednesday with West Virginia's MetroNews, Justice's chief of staff, Brian Abraham, was more blunt. The governor, he said, is "not doing well. He's very ill. He continues to suffer, as I can hear through the phone. Severe congestion. He still has elevated blood pressure. He's uncomfortable." Abraham added, "He has medical care being provided to him, so we're hoping for a positive outcome. He's a tough guy."