KY reports 1,623 new COVID-19 cases, 35 deaths, but ‘there is less disease out there’
Citing a three-week decline in new COVID-19 cases and the statewide positivity rate, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 1,623 new cases across Kentucky on Monday, as well as 35 additional deaths.
“We have seen our positivity rate decreasing. That shows our decrease in case numbers isn’t because of any change in testing, there is less disease out there,” Beshear said during a live update. “Fewer people by percentage are getting the virus week over week.”
The rate of people testing positive remained below 9 percent on Monday, at 8.85 percent. The state has confirmed a total of 364,507 cases and 3,780 deaths.
There are 1,314 people hospitalized with the virus. Of those patients, 337 are in intensive care and 178 are on a ventilator.
Last week, 1,330 K-12 students tested positive, as did 563 staff. There were at least 6,886 students and 911 staff in quarantine from direct exposure, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s coronavirus dashboard.
In long-term care facilities, there are new infections among 18 residents and 30 staff, bringing the total number of cases to 898.
A regional vaccination site at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington will begin offering shots on Tuesday by appointment only. The Lexington site, operated in partnership with Kroger, will offer 3,000 appointments this week, when it’ll be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
Kentucky is nearly finished with inoculating those in priority group 1A, and is well underway with vaccinating people in 1B, including the roughly 85,000 K-12 personnel, who Beshear said should have their first shot by the end of this week. 1B includes K-12 teachers and staff, first responders, and people ages 70 and older.
Now that most first responders and teachers have had access to their first dose, the state has begun shifting its focus to immunizing people age 70 and older, which amounts to more than half a million people. By last week, about 100,000 in that population had received a first dose, the state Public Health Commissioner said. Beshear has asked that these new drive-thru sites generally reserve their doses for those older Kentuckians.
Appointments for the Kroger site can be made at kroger.com/covidvaccine or by calling 1-866-211-5320. To help people determine if they are currently eligible for a vaccine and to direct them to a provider offering doses in their area, call 855-598-2246. People who are hearing impaired can call 855-326-4654. For general vaccine information, visit vaccine.ky.gov.
January was a record-setting month for new cases across the state, as well as in Lexington, where health officials reported a record 6,155 cases for the month.
Earlier on Monday, 260 new cases were reported in Fayette County from the weekend, along with eight new hospitalizations.
Statewide, Kentucky has administered 413,300 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines — 114,642 of which were administered last week.
Not counting the doses given out by the Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lexington has so far administered nearly 61,300 doses of the vaccine. In the last week of January, 12,426 doses were given out — 40 percent fewer than the more than 20,000 administered the week before, likely because of limited supply.
Kentucky continues to receive too few doses to meet its overwhelming demand. Beshear noted on Monday that each week for the last month, the state has administered more doses than it received. While the state’s weekly allocation from the federal government is increasing by roughly 9,000 doses beginning this week, insufficient supply will continue to limit the speed at which the state immunizes its residents.
“Remember, we are vaccinating people faster than we get doses from the federal government,” Beshear said. “If you’re having a hard time signing up, it’s because there just aren’t enough doses.”
Herald-Leader writer Jeremy Chisenhall contributed reporting.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 4:47 PM.
