Kentucky could be receiving more shipments of new COVID-19 vaccines sooner than expected.
The state's total number of vaccine shipments could jump from two to as many as five this month, with around 100,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and up to three deliveries from Pfizer, depending on the federal government.
Gov. Andy Beshear said, while the update is good news for facilities not included in the initial announcement, the shipments won't be large enough to expand beyond the state's top two priority groups: residents in long-term care and frontline healthcare workers.
"Better news in how much we anticipate we're going to get, but still not getting past that first grouping at least for December," Beshear said. "But the more we get in December, the faster we can potentially move to other groups in January and February."
One other encouraging note: the governor said the rate of growth in new cases is pulling back slightly with Monday's total — 1,972 — coming in lower than the previous two Mondays.
Still, Beshear warned the state may not yet be seeing the expected surge in cases following Thanksgiving.
KENTUCKY MONDAY COVID-19 NUMBERS:
- 1,972 new cases 10 deaths
- 9.60% positivity rate
- 1,700 hospitalized
- 410 in ICU
- 210 on ventilator
FAYETTE COUNTY:
- 378 new cases 3 deaths
- 198 new cases Saturday
- 180 new cases on Sunday