LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky will receive another boost in its supply of COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday in a news release.
The commonwealth is in line for a 5% increase to its vaccine supply for the week beginning Feb. 8, according to the governor's office. This is on top of a 17% boost in supply Beshear announced Jan. 26 as part of a surge in deliveries nationwide through President Joe Biden's administration.
According to data the governor shared during his briefing Monday from the state Capitol, Kentucky received 56,175 first doses of the two-shot immunization during the last two weeks of January. Health care officials as of Tuesday had administered 430,825 doses of the vaccine statewide, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health's vaccination dashboard.
"Again, our challenge is supply, supply, supply," Beshear said in the news release. "Remember, we will get a vaccine to everybody, it’s just going to take some time.”
Kentucky opened its first regional COVID-19 vaccination site on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, at the Kentucky Horse Park's Alltech Arena in Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky's first regional vaccination site opened Tuesday at Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The high-volume site is currently focusing on residents age 70 and older as part of Phase 1B of the state's vaccination plan. State officials expect more than 3,000 people to be vaccinated weekly at the site.
Alltech Arena is the first of what Beshear hopes will be many more regional vaccination centers. Last week, the state announced other regional sites opening in partnership with hospitals in Paducah and Danville. The governor 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 while vising Alltech Arena.
Kentucky sees 14th consecutive day of more than 30 virus-related deaths
State health officials reported 32 more deaths in which the coronavirus was a contributing factor Tuesday alongside 2,443 new positive cases, according to data from Kentucky Public Health.
Tuesday marked the 14th straight day Kentucky has reported more than 30 deaths related to COVID-19. Among the new victims were four women, ages 55, 70, 82 and 86, and five men, ages 63, 69, and 98, from Jefferson County.
The dome of the Kentucky state Capitol is lit green to remember those who have died of COVID-19 and their families.
More than half of the 3,812 Kentuckians who have died from the coronavirus were age 70 or older, according to data from Kentucky Public Health, but 13 of the victims reported Tuesday were in their 50s or 60s.
Of the new cases Tuesday, 349 were confirmed in Jefferson County. As of Tuesday, data show 109 of the commonwealth's 120 counties experiencing a "critical" spread of the virus.
Kentucky's positivity rate, which measures the proportion of coronavirus tests returning positive, fell slightly from 8.85% on Monday to 8.83% on Tuesday. The rate has stayed under 9% for the past five days but remains above the World Health Organization's recommended threshold of 5% or lower for states to reopen.
As of Tuesday, 1,335 Kentuckians were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to Kentucky Public Health, while 373 were being treated for the virus in intensive care units. More than 170 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 366,938 confirmed cases reported since March, at least 43,714 have recovered, according to Kentucky Public Health.
This story may be updated.
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