Kentucky COVID-19 Vaccination Update

John Bobel

May 4, 2021

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 3, 2021) – On Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 1,833,652 people have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Kentucky.

The Governor said starting today, the state will transition to the federal COVID-19 vaccination reporting system.

“We’re also going to start showing on our daily report the top five counties with the highest vaccination rates, as well as our bottom five counties by vaccination rate,” said Gov. Beshear. “To our top five counties: Good job. Keep it up. There is still so much more to do. To our bottom five counties: Let’s work even harder because we want everybody to be protected.”

Kentuckians should visit vaccinemap.ky.gov to find a COVID-19 vaccination site near them.

The Governor pointed out five sites with the most available appointments per day:

• UofL Health, Cardinal Stadium Site, Jefferson County – register at uoflhealth.org or call 502-681-1435
• Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, Daviess County – register at owensborohealth.org/patient-visitor/schedule-an-appointment/covid-19-vaccination/
• St. Claire Healthcare, Morgan County – register by calling 606-783-7539
• Ohio County Healthcare, Ohio County – register at ochcares.com
• The Medical Center at Bowling Green, Warren County – register by texting COVID to 270-796-4400

Dr. Stack Updates Kentuckians on Data Reporting, Importance of Vaccinations
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, updated Kentuckians on COVID-19 testing and vaccination reporting and encouraged anyone who hasn’t signed up for a vaccination appointment yet to make the choice to do so.

Dr. Stack said as new labs onboard for electronic reporting, the state sometimes captures a substantial number of historic tests completed, resulting in one-time, higher-than-average increases in the number of Kentuckians tested for COVID-19 and number of Kentuckians who have tested positive for the virus.

Dr. Stack also said a new, online county level vaccine dashboard went live today at 4 p.m. EDT on kycovid19.ky.gov.

“Kentucky is performing very well on COVID-19 vaccinations relative to states in our region and the nation overall,” said Dr. Stack. “We’re outperforming every state south of us, from Texas to Florida. And, we are still outperforming five of our seven border states. But we can’t slow down. As countries like India and Brazil languish with thousands of deaths daily and collapsing health systems, it’s important that we not get complacent and that more people continue to make the choice to get vaccinated.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Monday, May 3, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

People vaccinated in Kentucky (have received at least one dose): 1,833,652

New cases today: 313
Positivity rate: 3.45%

For more information on cases and hospital capacity, see the full daily COVID-19 report. To see a list of those reported lost to the virus today, click here.

At least 59,446 first doses have been administered to Kentucky residents in other states and at least 46,856 first doses have been administered to out-of-state residents in Kentucky.

House Foods to Create 109 Well-Paying Jobs with First Kentucky Operation in Louisville
Gov. Beshear said tofu producer House Foods America Corp. plans to locate its first Kentucky facility in Louisville Riverport Authority’s Phase 5 development with a $146.3 million investment that will create 109 full-time jobs. To learn more, see the full release.

KCC Manufacturing to Create 700 Well-Paying Jobs with Shelby County Facility
Gov. Beshear said Kentuckiana Curb Co. Inc., a manufacturer of commercial HVAC products doing business as KCC Manufacturing, plans to add 700 high-wage jobs in Shelby County with a $60 million investment to establish a new location in Simpsonville. To learn more, see the full release.

Kentuckians in Nine Counties Can Apply for Federal Disaster Aid After Storms, Floods
Following Gov. Beshear’s request, President Joe Biden granted a Major Disaster Declaration for the Commonwealth of Kentucky April 23. The president’s action makes federal funding available to help individuals and communities in the counties of Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Johnson, Lee, Magoffin, Martin and Powell recover from the severe storms, flooding and mudslides that occurred Feb. 27-March 14, 2021. To learn more and find out how to apply, see the full release.

The Governor has also asked FEMA to conduct damage assessments in 26 additional counties that reported significant damages to residences. Following the assessment from FEMA, which will take place in the next several weeks, a determination will be made on each county’s eligibility to participate. Once a determination is made, the public and media will be notified. To learn more, see the full release.

Executive Order on Pharmaceuticals
Gov. Beshear signed an executive order that extends previous orders allowing pharmacists to dispense emergency 30-day refills.

Memorial for Ernie West
“While this remembrance isn’t related to the COVID-19, it’s an important one to share as the commonwealth lost one of our very best,” said Gov. Beshear. “Ernie West, a humble son of the town of Russell, fought in the Korean War and earned the Medal of Honor for his valorous actions rescuing wounded comrades while under enemy fire.

“Ernie has been a good and valued friend of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs for its entire existence. We have always been able to count on him to grace our ceremonies and special events. For more than a decade, Ernie was a tireless advocate for building a State Veterans Cemetery in his home county of Greenup. He worked with his state legislators and local officials to secure the land and the state matching funding for construction.

“Ernie told the Ashland Daily Independent that at first he refused the Medal of Honor, because he thought everyone deserved a medal. He accepted the medal from President Eisenhower, but always responded to comments about his courage with ‘I did what any of us would have done. They were my brothers; I had to rescue my brothers.’ Let’s remember Ernie’s courageous, selfless spirit and continue to do what it takes to protect each other and end this pandemic.”

More Information
To see all vaccination sites and free transportation options to and from vaccination appointments, visit vaccine.ky.gov. To see a list of vaccination sites that have openings this week, visit vaccinemap.ky.gov. If Kentuckians have questions, they should call the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline, 855-598-2246 or TTY 855-326-4654 (for deaf or hard-of-hearing Kentuckians).

For detailed information on COVID-19 vaccinations and more, visit kycovid19.ky.gov.

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