As Kentucky deals with tornadoes, state still seeing many deaths from COVID-19
If dealing with deadly tornadoes is not enough, Gov. Andy Beshear said late Monday, the state still is in the throes of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
If there is any good news, he said, more Kentuckians are getting vaccinated for the virus.
Beshear reported 120 deaths from the virus over the weekend — 55 Saturday, 37 Sunday and 28 Monday. More than 11,000 Kentuckians have died in the pandemic since it started in March 2020.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Kentucky was 2,308 on Saturday, 989 on Sunday and 1,089 on Monday. Beshear said the Monday cases were about 20 less than the previous Monday but that number could be because of fewer tests due to the storms.
The tornadoes have taken the lives of at least 74 Kentuckians.
The state’s positivity rate for COVID-19 is down a bit to 8.78 percent, but is “still way too high,” the governor said.
As of Monday, 1,253 Kentuckians were in the hospital due to the virus, with 315 in intensive care and 181 on ventilators.
It’s still too early to determine if cases in Kentucky are stabilizing or plateauing, said Beshear.
Over the weekend, he said, 14,880 Kentuckians got their “first shot of hope—” in vaccinations. A total of 16,813 received their second shots to become fully vaccinated and 46,373 got their boosters.
So far, more than 2.7 million Kentuckians have gotten at least one shot, said Beshear, noting that Tuesday will mark a year from the first COVID vaccine to be administered in the state.
He expressed disappointment that only 14 percent of children between the ages of 5 to 11 have been vaccinated. He told parents and guardians that the vaccine is safe and provides protection. He noted that his two children have received the shots.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 6:47 PM.
