LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky opened its first regional COVID-19 vaccination site in Lexington on Tuesday.
Gov. Andy Beshear was at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park as the first people arrived to get the vaccine. He said the opening will mark a "turning point" in the fight against the coronavirus.
For now, the appointments are in-person and indoors, so people will wait in the parking lot before coming inside to fill out paperwork and get the vaccination.
"When we look back on this battle years from now, today will be one of the days that marks a real turning point in when we began to win this war against COVID-19," Beshear said.
Vaccinations at the Alltech Arena are only for Kentucky residents who are 70 years old or older. The hope is to move to a drive-thru process once the weather becomes warmer.
Paul French, a 74-year-old veteran from Lincoln County, received the first vaccination at the regional center on the outskirts of Lexington. About 600 Kentuckians were scheduled to receive their first doses Tuesday at the site operated in partnership with Kroger Health, the state said. The high-volume site is expected to vaccinate more than 3,000 people weekly, it said.
Paul French, a 74-year-old from Lincoln Co., is first to get shot at this site. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/D0k9vf2y5f
— Travis Ragsdale (@TravisRagsdale) February 2, 2021
The first three days of appointments here were filled in 90 minutes. But Beshear's head of vaccine distribution, Jim Gray, said not to lose hope.
"Keep trying and just remember that we are in a very early stage of this," Gray said. "Your turn will come. When the supply increases, we are ready."
The Lexington site is the first of what Beshear hopes will be many more. Last week, the state announced other regional vaccination sites opening in partnership with hospitals in Paducah and Danville. He plans to announce the next regional site Thursday.
"We have to continue to grow our capacity so when we have those additional vaccines, when the manufacturing picks up, when we have a flood of these life-saving shots of hope, that we are ready to ... get them in people's arms as quickly as humanly possible," Beshear said.
In a state with broad stretches of rural territory, the goal is for no one to have to travel more than one county away to get the shot, Gray said.
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.
