The University of Kentucky and Baptist Health Lexington will be among the first facilities receiving doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the commonwealth.
Two-thirds of Kentucky's initial allocation is already earmarked for long-term care facilities. Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 11 healthcare sites that will receive the remaining third — with vaccinations starting as early as December 15.
The shipments are relatively small, with Baptist Health Lexington receiving 975 and UK receiving 1,950, but larger shipments of the Moderna vaccine could arrive in late December. Beshear said the doses are intended for frontline workers, such as those in emergency rooms and COVID wings.
"We're allowing each of these facilities to make their own allocations based on tiering that they have done with their staff," the governor said. "They know who is most at risk and have done that analysis."
The initial sites were chosen because they were large enough to handle the minimum pallet size of the vaccine shipments and were equipped with ultra-low cold storage, which is required for the Pfizer vaccine.
THURSDAY KENTUCKY COVID NUMBERS:
- 3,895 new cases
- 34 deaths
- 10.07% positivity rate (record)
- 1,810 hospitalized (record)
- 415 in ICU
- 240 on ventilator
- 416 in 18 and under
- 409 new cases and 3 deaths in Fayette County
- 113 of Kentucky's 120 counties labeled "red zones"
