KY adds 3,057 new COVID-19 cases and has ‘certainly stopped’ exponential case growth
Kentucky added 3,057 new COVID-19 cases and 28 new deaths due to the virus, Gov. Andy Beshear said during his briefing Tuesday.
Beshear said the state’s case level remains at a plateau and added that the case numbers so far this week are just slightly down compared to this time last week. Tuesday’s case totals brings the total number of cases to 247,344 and the rate of Kentuckians testing positive was at 8.48 percent.
“Our numbers are high but pretty close to what we saw last week which overall is good news in that we have certainly stopped the exponential growth that we’ve been seeing,” Beshear said.
Several of the 28 deaths reported Tuesday were among individuals in their 50s and 60s, and Beshear said it was likely among the average youngest group of COVID-19-related deaths reported. The state’s total number of deaths is 2,440.
Additionally on Tuesday, Norris Hardison became the first Kentucky veteran to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in a state veterans center. According to a release from the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs, Hardison was one of 90 veterans and over 100 staff at the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore who were vaccinated at the long-term care facility.
“Every single person should get this vaccine,” Hardison said via the release. “I have been talking to my family, and even my daughter, who is afraid of needles, is going to take it. It’s the best way to protect us all from this COVID virus and I am just so happy that it’s finally here.”
The state received both good “and a little bad news” from the federal government related to vaccine rollout, Beshear said. The governor said the bad news was that Moderna’s second shipment of the vaccine — slated to arrive next week — will be around 12,000 doses less than expected, bringing that total down to 26,500.
On the positive side, Beshear said Pfizer confirmed that the state would be getting over 30,000 additional doses of its vaccine next week. The state should receive 202,650 total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year.
“These are 202,650 individuals who can be vaccinated here in Kentucky,” said Beshear, who was vaccinated along with other state leaders earlier Tuesday. “That’s really exciting.”
Frontline healthcare workers and those in long-term care facilities will be specifically targeted with the vaccine through at least mid-January, Beshear said.
“We’re dealing a massive blow to this pandemic by prioritizing long-term care,” Beshear said. “We are giving a second wind to our frontline healthcare workers.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 4:29 PM.