How texts, Twitter and close-knit communities are helping to fuel West Virginia's COVID vaccine …

By Lauren Peace and Lucas Manfield, Mountain State Spotlight “This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. For more stories from Mountain State Spotlight, visit www.mountainstatespotlight.org.”  A line of cars wrapped around the Teays Valley Baptist Church, stretching back toward the interstate. It was a weekend in mid-March, but the Saturday crowd wasn’t there for services; it was hundreds of hopeful West Virginians trying their luck for an unclaimed dose of vaccine. Earlier that afternoon, Jamie Miller had gotten a text from a friend who knew somebody working at the vaccination event in Putnam County. She was told that the parking-lot clinic had an abundance of unclaimed doses. So the Charleston-based artist took to Twitter and Facebook to spread the news. “Giving to anyone, not just 50 and over! Get there if ya need it and pass along to folks who are close,” Miller wrote. West Virginians responded. People piled into cars with hopes of snagging a coveted dose, while others placed calls to neighbors, parents and grandparents, hoping to get their loved ones a step closer to safety. It was the work of an old-fashioned gossip chain with the power of the internet’s reach. In less than an hour, the extra doses…
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