Governor Andy Beshear on Monday again reiterated his call for people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a new variant, Omicron, believed to be more easily transmissible than prior variants, has arrived in Kentucky, including in Kenton and Campbell counties.
Beshear confirmed the first cases of the Omicron variant of the virus that has devastated the state, the country, and the world for nearly two years.
Early indications from researchers are that the Omicron variant could be more evasive of initial immunity gained through vaccination, but that a booster, or third shot of a Moderna or Pfizer brand vaccine is more helpful.
Breakthrough cases are occurring across the country, though.
The unvaccinated population will be most vulnerable to the new variant, early indicators suggest.
Beshear said that Moderna reported that its booster shot should offer protection against the Omicron variant. Lab tests revealed the half-dose booster shot increased by 37 times the level of antibodies able to fight omicron and a full-dose booster generated an 83-fold jump in antibodies, said the governor, who was vaccinated and boosted with Moderna shots.
“So the message here again is, these vaccines are helping to prevent severe disease and we need everyone to go get a Pfizer or Moderna booster as soon as they’re eligible,” Beshear said.
Kentucky recorded 5,321 new COVID-19 cases Saturday through Monday, including 653 across five Northern Kentucky counties: 231 in Kenton, 224 in Boone, 152 in Campbell, 34 in Grant, and 12 in Pendleton.
There were 93 COVID-related deaths reported across the state.
There are currently 1,206 people hospitalized across the state due to COVID, including 325 in intensive care units and 176 on ventilators.
The state’s positivity rate is 9.2%.
So far, more than 2.7 million people in Kentucky have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 777,000 have received a booster shot.
-Staff report