Kentucky to receive 29% boost in COVID-19 vaccine supply, Beshear says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky expects to receive more than 87,800 first doses of coronavirus vaccine next week thanks to a 29% boost to the state's supply from the federal government, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday during a briefing from the state Capitol.

In total, the governor said the commonwealth has seen a 57% increase to its vaccine supply since President Joe Biden's administration took over on Jan. 20.

For the week beginning Feb. 9, Beshear said Kentucky continued to outpace its allocated vaccine supply, which has been a trend since the week beginning Jan. 5, according to the state's vaccination dashboard. The dashboard shows 70,627 Kentuckians received their first dose of the two-shot coronavirus immunization over the past week — more than its 68,475 doses allocated for the week.

"That's even having to reschedule all of last Thursday's appointments (due to winter weather) for this next Thursday," Beshear said. "This vaccination machine is working. It can vaccinate a lot more people than we are receiving supply."

With more winter weather in the forecast for the tail end of the week, Beshear said the state is going to "do everything in our power" to keep its regional vaccination sites open.

"We know that we've already had to reschedule too many appointments," he added.

Kentucky received 71,675 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the week beginning Tuesday, according to the vaccination dashboard. On Monday, Beshear announced the state had expanded Phase 1B of its vaccination plan to include child care workers, who were immediately eligible to schedule vaccination appointments.

In total, 542,394 Kentuckians have at least received their first dose of the two-shot immunization as of Tuesday, according to the vaccination dashboard.

Kentucky reports more than 1,200 new COVID-19 cases, 27 more deaths

Health officials on Tuesday confirmed 1,255 new COVID-19 cases in Kentucky and 27 more deaths in which the virus was a contributing factor, Beshear said.

Of the new cases, 217 were reported in Jefferson County, according to data from Kentucky Public Health. As of Tuesday, the governor said 63 of Kentucky's 120 counties were experiencing critical spread of the virus.

Kentucky's positivity rate, which measures the proportion of coronavirus tests returning positive, remained relatively stable Tuesday at 6.58%, according to Kentucky Public Health.

Kentucky state Capitol dome — The dome of the Kentucky state Capitol is lit green to remember those who have died of COVID-19 and their families.
Eric Crawford

The deaths announced Tuesday bring Kentucky to 4,318 reported since COVID-19 was first reported in the state. Among the victims Tuesday was a 71-year-old woman from Jefferson County, Beshear said.

As of Tuesday, 935 Kentuckians were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to Kentucky Public Health, while 272 were being treated in intensive care units. More than 130 patients were on ventilators.

For most people, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. The vast majority of people recover. Of Kentucky's 390,762 confirmed cases reported since March, at least 46,074 have recovered, according to Kentucky Public Health.

But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

To find a COVID-19 testing location near you, click here. To find out if you're eligible for a vaccine and for more information on Kentucky's vaccination process, click here.