Lexington’s COVID-19 deaths continue to pile up as vaccination opportunities increase
As Lexington’s COVID-19 vaccine options continue to increase, so does the city’s COVID-19 deaths.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported three new coronavirus deaths Friday morning, pushing January’s death toll to 22. The month is already the fourth-deadliest that Lexington has had since the pandemic started.
Lexington’s total number of COVID-19 infections surpassed 29,000 Friday morning as the city reported 161 new cases.
It’s likely that COVID-19 January fatalities will continue to be reported after the month has ended due to lengthy cause-of-death investigations. Some previous fatalities have been reported one or two months after they occurred.
The health department doesn’t report COVID-19 deaths until COVID-19 is confirmed as the primary cause of death, according to health department spokesman Kevin Hall.
Lexington has reported 194 COVID-19 deaths since the city’s first case was confirmed on March 8.
Lexington seniors can sign up for COVID-19 vaccine information
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has launched a system to notify eligible residents of upcoming vaccination opportunities. The only eligible groups are frontline health care workers and Lexington residents 70 and older who have issues with transportation, mobility or internet access, according to the health department.
Those interested in signing up for more information can go to lfchd.org/covid19-vaccine. Those with questions or concerns can call the health department at (859) 899-2222 or email covid19vaccine@lfchd.org. Signing up for more information doesn’t guarantee a vaccination appointment.
The Lexington health department just opened its vaccination clinics to people 70 and older this week but limited recipients to those who face significant obstacles to getting doses at other locations. Officials have advised seniors who can to use other clinics because health department vaccine supply is limited.
The most vaccine doses the health department has received in a week is 1,900, according to health department spokesman Kevin Hall. There are about 20,000 frontline health care workers in Lexington and about 30,000 residents over the age of 70, according to the health department, so supply isn’t meeting demand.
“It’s like having midnight madness but in a middle school gym,” Hall said Thursday.
Lexington received confirmation of a significant boost in vaccine supply Thursday when Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a regional vaccination site would open Tuesday at the Kentucky Horse Park. The site will administer a maximum of 3,000 doses per week, Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said Thursday. Appointment scheduling opened Thursday but every slot was quickly filled. New appointments are expected to be added for subsequent weeks.
The vaccine site will initially prioritize people over 70 but will have a broader scope than the health department’s vaccine clinics.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 9:55 AM.