Kentucky records second-highest Monday for new COVID-19 cases. Vaccine plan detailed.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 2,124 new cases of COVID-19 Monday in Kentucky, bringing the state’s total to 179,041 after the highest month of COVID-19 cases and deaths since the pandemic began.
Monday’s tally of new cases is the second-highest on a Monday, surpassed only by last Monday.
Beshear also announced 12 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing Kentucky’s death toll to 1,908. At least 71,822 Kentuckians were infected with the coronavirus over the month of November and an additional 423 Kentuckians died from the virus.
The new cases and deaths could be under reported after a long holiday weekend where some labs may have been closed. Beshear said that may mean more cases to come.
“We may have a very large week this week or next,” Beshear warned.
Beshear encouraged people who got together with large groups of people or traveled over the Thanksgiving holiday to act like they have the virus and get tested. He said people can prevent an additional surge by being cautious.
“That is dependent on everyone out there who did get together... to now do their part,” Beshear said.
There are 1,741 Kentuckians in the hospital with COVID-19, the highest since the pandemic began, 421 of whom are in intensive care. At least 229 Kentuckians are on a ventilator with the disease.
There are 2,259 active cases of COVID-19 among nursing home residents and another 1,252 active cases among staff. There have been at least 1,250 coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes, 66 percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths.
The number of active cases at long term-care facilities nearly doubled over the course of November, going from 1,846 in the first week of November to 3,511 on Monday.
Two more veterans at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore have died from COVID-19, marking 30 deaths at the nursing home. There are only two active cases left at Thomson-Hood, but the first active case was just found at the Western Kentucky Veterans Center in Hanson, Beshear said.
KY releases more vaccine details
Two vaccines are being considered for emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration, and their developers (Pfizer and Moderna) have presented data showing they are more then 90 percent effective. Beshear said Monday that the state is participating in a practice run on how to distribute the vaccine.
“The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter,” Beshear said. “That’s why I want you to keep fighting.”
While Beshear was not able to offer a firm date, he said Kentucky expects to get 38,025 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by mid-December. A booster shot (both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine require two shots) would come later.
That is one third of what the state initially thought it would get.
The first doses would go to nursing home residents and staff, with 26,000 doses allocated for about half of the 50,300 residents and workers at nursing homes with the most at-risk populations. They will be distributed through Walgreen’s and CVS, which have a contract with the federal government.
Another 12,000 doses would go to COVID-19 front line health care workers. Beshear did not release how many doses would go to which hospitals, but said they would be distributed throughout the state.
Teachers and adults with significant pre-existing conditions would be among the next to get the vaccine, along with first responders and other workers deemed essential to the economy.
“We have to make sure we get it to the people who need it the most and would benefit the most,” said Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s Public Health Commissioner.
Another 76,700 doses of the Moderna vaccine would arrive in late December, Beshear said. The Moderna vaccine would go to the same top priority groups.
The vaccine probably won’t be available to much of the general population until spring.
Some have expressed apprehension about being injected with drugs that have been developed so rapidly. Beshear said he believes confidence in the vaccines is increasing and that confidence is particularly high in the groups who will take it first. He said the level of effectiveness of the virus has helped encourage people to take it.
“To have the opportunity to put this entire thing behind us, I think that’s a game changer,” Beshear said.
Restaurant fund application open
When adding additional restrictions for bars and restaurants this month, the Beshear Administration created a fund that will give $10,000 per bar or restaurant that applies. The application process opened Monday and Beshear said the administration had already received 2,200 applications.
“The faster you apply, the faster we can get you whole,” Beshear said.
Kentuckians are being encouraged not to travel to 16 states where the positivity rate (the percentage of tests that return positive) is higher than 15 percent — Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Idaho, Wyoming, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Montana, Iowa, Alabama, Utah, Nevada, Kansas, and Oregon.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 4:30 PM.
