LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The first of Kentucky's regional COVID-19 vaccination sites will open Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.
The site, operation by Kroger as part of a national program, will book 3,000 appointments the first week inside Alltech Arena. The priority, at least initially, is Phase 1B, particularly people aged 70 and older, Beshear said.
The site will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, during the first week. This website was set up to allow people to book appointments, starting at 5 p.m. Thursday. It didn't appear to go live until around 6 p.m., and quickly thereafter, those trying to book an appointment at the Horse Park were given this message:
"Sorry, there are no available time slots at this location. Please try another location or check back soon."
Just after 7 p.m., Kroger spokeswoman Erin Grant confirmed that all available appointments are booked. However, that isn't all 3,000 for the first week. Grant said the appointments are made available to be booked on a rolling, seven-day schedule. So, for example, only appointments for the following Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday could be made Thursday. On Friday, next Friday's appointment will be made available, and so on.
The appointments will be handled in-person, though Beshear said it will be moved to a drive-thru vaccination site, as the weather warms. National Guard members will be on hand with golf carts for anyone who needs help to get inside.
Beshear says the Horse Park was chosen as the first site for a number of reasons, including its proximity to the interstate and the fact that it's owned by the state. He said he will announce more regional sites next Thursday and the Thursday after.
Three other sites — one in Danville and two in Paducah — are also going live next week, run by local hospitals. Only the Lexington site is operated by Kroger.
Beshear said the state will keep filling in gaps statewide with more vaccination centers as it gears up for increasing shipments in coming months. Until more regional sites are announced, he urged people to stay patient and to wear masks and follow other health guidelines to combat the virus's spread.
“We're going to keep pushing for more supply," he said. “We're going to keep trying to make this easier and easier for you. But remember, the most likely difficulty you'll have is that there is just not enough vaccine. In fact, we're building the infrastructure to where when we get that big push, we're going to be able to get it out fast, get it into your arm fast.”
The governor announced a separate website Thursday evening where Kentucky residents could go to find out where and when they can get vaccinated. To visit that site, CLICK HERE.
So far, about 100,000 Kentuckians age 70 and older have received at least the first dose of vaccine, said Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner. That leaves about 400,000 in that category who haven't yet received a shot, he said.
If vaccine amounts and available appointments allow, people in the next tier could also be scheduled for vaccinations, he said. The next vaccination group includes people 60 and older, anyone older than 16 with high-risk medical conditions and anyone deemed an essential worker.
Coronavirus Numbers
Beshear announced 2,947 new cases on Thursday, the lowest numbers on a Thursday in four weeks
More than 430 of those new cases were reported from Jefferson County, and statewide hospitalizations, ICU occupation ventilator use are lower than those reported Wednesday.
The statewide positive rate is 9.04%, the fourth-straight day under 10%. Beshear said Thursday's death total of 69 is the highest of any single day, though not all those are recent. Some are attributed to a lag in reporting from a medical committee, which reviews cases to determine if COVId-19 was a factor.
Ten of those new deaths came from Jefferson County.
This story will be updated.
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
