West Virginia governor says unvaccinated ‘entering the death drawing’

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) rebuked people who were choosing not to get the COVID-19 vaccine during a news conference on Thursday, saying they were “entering the death drawing.”

“Well when you turn your back and say, nope I’m not doing that — all you’re doing is entering the death drawing There were six — there were six today. How many is there going to be the next time we sit down? How many is there going to be on next Tuesday?” Justice said.

An exasperated Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) goes off about the unvaccinated:

“All you’re doing is entering the death drawing … I don’t wanna take the chance when the wheel spins that it could come up Jim Justice.” pic.twitter.com/B0vcmijmRl

— The Recount (@therecount) June 24, 2021

Justice predicted that eight or nine more people will die from the virus by next Tuesday.

“If I knew for certain that there was going to be eight or nine people [dead] by next Tuesday and I could be one of them if I don’t take the vaccine, what in the world do you think I would do? I mean I would run over on top of somebody because I don’t want to take the chance when the wheel spins — that it could come up Jim Justice. I don’t want to take that chance,” Justice said.

​The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced Thursday that there have been 163,744 total cases of COVID-19 in the state and 2,876 deaths. 

The department reported that about 54 percent of people in West Virginia have received at least one dose of the vaccine and about 45 percent are fully vaccinated, which falls below President Biden’s goal to have 70 percent of adults inoculated against the vaccine by July 4.

As an incentive to get the vaccine, the West Virginia governor had announced earlier this month that the state would give away cash and firearms to anyone who got the COVID-19 vaccine.