Governor Andy Beshear said Thursday that the state is 877,076 vaccinations away from his goal of having 2.5 million Kentucky residents receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Thursday, the state has just under half a million vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, each of which require two doses. The governor noted that that is more than half the number needed to meet the goal.
“As of today, we are only 877,076 vaccinations away from our goal of 2.5 million Kentuckians 16 and older receiving their vaccine,” said Beshear. “The way we defeat this virus is with vaccines, and I want to give you one statistic to show just how incredible they are.
“Congregate settings, like long-term care facilities, at one time made up more than 68% of our COVID-19 deaths; today, just 37.72% of COVID-19 deaths are from congregate settings, after we prioritized their residents and staff for the vaccine. The vaccines virtually eliminate death and serious illness from this virus. They are a miracle.”
More than 1.6 million Kentuckians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, the state announced 834 new cases on Thursday, including 50 across five Northern Kentucky counties: 24 in Boone, 20 in Kenton, 3 in Campbell, 2 in Grant, and 1 in Pendleton.
There were 17 COVID-related deaths announced Thursday, though none were local.
The state’s positivity rate is 3.45%.
There are currently 416 people hospitalized across the state, including 102 in intensive care units and 49 on ventilators.
-Staff report
Image: Gov. Beshear in Erlanger this week (via St. Elizabeth Healthcare)