Nearly 120,000 COVID-19 vaccines given in Lexington. Here’s how they are helping.
More than 119,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Lexington, and vaccination increases have coincided with a significant reduction in the number of Lexington residents hospitalized with coronavirus.
New hospitalizations over the past week were the lowest they’ve been since the week of Oct. 26. Hospitalizations this month are on pace to be less than half what they were in December when the city set a record with 349 hospitalizations.
More than a quarter of the city’s hospitalizations have been residents 75 or over, according to data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
Since older age groups have been prioritized for vaccination, “that should be a sign it is working,” said Kevin Hall, the health department spokesman.
The more than 119,000 doses include first and second doses.
The indications in Lexington follow findings released Monday in two United Kingdom studies that showed vaccines were leading to a sharp drop in hospitalizations. The Pfizer vaccine “reduced hospital admissions by up to 85 percent four weeks after the first dose,” while the AstraZeneca shot “cut admissions by up to 94 percent,” the Associated Press reported.
Lexington’s cases are down, but vaccine not a major reason yet
Lexington reported 637 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, which is the lowest number of cases in the city since the week of Oct. 12. It’s an encouraging sign, but vaccinations haven’t been widespread enough to be the direct cause of that drop.
“Looking at the decrease in cases in long-term care residents is an indicator of the vaccine’s effectiveness since the majority of them have gotten it,” Hall said. “We’re still too early in the general population to have too much of an impact, but obviously, any help in lowering those positive numbers is fantastic.”
Active COVID-19 cases have plummeted in Kentucky nursing homes recently.
One of the biggest reasons for a drop in cases: the three winter storms that hit Kentucky. Some of the city’s largest COVID-19 testing sites, including those at Kroger Field and Eastern State Hospital, temporarily closed.
Hall said the testing closures mixed with a “true reduction” in cases helped spur the drop.
“The weather and slowing of testing are definitely big parts of it,” Hall said.
Testing was lower than normal even on the days that test sites stayed open during the hazardous weather, according to Dr. Luke Murray, the director of Wild Health, which runs testing sites at the University of Kentucky.
“I expect March numbers to tick back up,” Murray said, noting that the weather will get better. “Especially with the (increased) funding from the federal government for testing.”
Murray said testing numbers will “obviously” decline as vaccination efforts ramp up, “but I think we are a few months away from that.”
Lexington reports 6 more deaths, fatalities remain higher
Lexington reported six COVID-19 deaths Monday, pushing the city’s total to 230. Four of the newly reported deaths occurred in February. Two occurred in January.
January is now one of three months tied for the most coronavirus fatalities. Thirty-seven deaths occurred in November, December and January. Seventeen have been reported thus far in February.
The six deaths reported Monday included five males and one female. One of the victims was in their 40s. That individual had underlying health conditions, Hall said.
The other five included three people in their 70s, one in their 80s and one in their 90s. Residents 75 and older now account for 64.8 percent of Lexington’s deaths.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 1:43 PM.