On Monday Governor Andy Beshear announced the eleventh straight week of declining COVID-19 numbers in Kentucky. There were 310 new cases and 11 fatalities. Of Monday’s reported deaths, three were from March and the remaining were confirmed from August, November, December, January and February. 364 Kentuckians are hospitalized with the virus; 87 are in the ICU and 41 remain on a ventilator. Another encouraging number is the state’s positivity rate which has been steadily below three percent. It was 2.89% on Monday.
While Beshear said he is pleased with the speed of the vaccination program, he and State Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack again stressed the importance of getting vaccinated as quickly as possible. Stack said the Moderna and Pfizer brands are already proving effective against the virus in frontline workers who are the most exposed. With 41 cases of the B.1.1.7 or UK variant now identified in 15 Kentucky counties, Dr. Stack called the vaccine the “best line of defense” against another surge in cases that’s being seen in other parts of the country.
The Governor said more than one-million, 300-thousand Kentuckians have received their first vaccination dose. That’s 40% of the adult population (18 and over). The state also opened eligibility to those 40 and over on Monday and several locations have available appointment throughout the week.