With first vaccine shipment headed to KY, 3,558 new cases of COVID-19 are reported
Kentucky should receive its first shipment of the coronavirus vaccine early in the coming week, Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday as he reported 3,558 new cases of COVID-19 and 24 more deaths as a result of the virus.
“Late yesterday, the FDA approved Pfizer’s vaccine for COVID-19,” Beshear said in a news release. “That’s great news, but it will still be some time before everyone can get vaccinated and we have to stay vigilant until that time.
“It is morally imperative that we get the vaccine to the most vulnerable Kentuckians first, and that is why we are starting with our long-term care facilities and front-line health care workers.”
There were 207 new cases of coronavirus and two additional deaths reported in Lexington, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department said Saturday morning. The health department reports cases from the previous day each morning. Cases from Saturday and Sunday are reported on Monday mornings.
The new deaths reported Saturday brought the total COVID-19-related deaths in Lexington to 143.
The deaths reported by the state Saturday included a 49-year-old Fayette County man and an 89-year-old Fayette County woman.
The 24 additional deaths bring the statewide death toll related to coronavirus to 2,192.
As of Saturday, 1,711 Kentuckians were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 423 in intensive care and 199 on ventilators.
The positivity rate as of Saturday was 8.79 percent.
“Decreasing statewide positivity rates are encouraging, but they are the result of difficult choices made to decrease spread of disease,” Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner, said in the release. “Multiple Kentucky hospitals are still under strain and the market for available health care workers has become extremely tight as states around the nation experience massive COVID-19 surges, overwhelming their hospitals.”
Every Kentuckian has choices to make – choices that matter tremendously – in the weeks ahead. Wear your mask, socially distance and if you are sick, seek medical care or stay at home until you are fully recovered. And if you are over 65 or have medical problems, stay healthy at home as much as you possibly can, since leaving your home now places you at high risk of exposure to COVID-19.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
