Governor also announces round-trip free or reduced-cost transportation for vaccination appointments

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 25, 2021) – On Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 119 new vaccination sites, bringing the state’s total number of vaccine providers to 410.

“Vaccinations are going incredibly well in Kentucky,” said Gov. Beshear. “We are giving out doses faster than the federal government provides them. More than 646,000 Kentuckians have received at least the first dose of their shot of hope less than a year after our first confirmed COVID-19 case.”

Six of the new locations are regional sites; three are federally qualified health centers; 10 are Walmart stores; 10 are Kroger stores; and 90 are Walgreens stores. New locations will be added to the ‘Where Can I Get Vaccinated?’ map on the vaccine.ky.gov website, also found here.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman also announced public transit agencies across the commonwealth are offering free or reduced-cost transportation to and from vaccine appointments.

These services are already operating in over 90 counties, covering 75% of all counties across Kentucky.

“We want all Kentuckians who wish to get vaccinated to be able to do so, and transportation should not be a barrier,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman.

Kentuckians can find transportation services near them by heading to kycovid19.ky.gov for a full list of participating public transit agencies and their phone numbers. Or, call the Kentucky COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline, 855-598-2246.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 1,447
New deaths today: 43
Positivity rate: 5.67%
Total deaths: 4,570
Currently hospitalized: 843
Currently in ICU: 220
Currently on ventilator: 122

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2021) – On Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the state’s positivity rate has declined to 5.9%, the lowest since Oct. 27.

“We are getting these vaccines out faster than the federal government can provide them, so there’s a lot of hope moving into the future,” said Gov. Beshear. “We are going to defeat this virus this year, but until then, we’ve got to protect each other.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 1,306
New deaths today: 51
Positivity rate: 5.9%
Total deaths: 4,527
Currently hospitalized: 883
Currently in ICU: 228
Currently on ventilator: 112

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette and Kenton. Each county reported at least 50 new cases. Jefferson County reported 173.

To see a list of those reported lost to the virus today, click here.

More Information
To view the full daily report, incidence rate map, information on testing locations, vaccines, contact tracing, school reports and guidance, guidance for health care providers and the White House Coronavirus Task Force reports for Kentucky and more, visit kycovid19.ky.gov.

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Lt. Gov. Coleman highlights new COVID-19 guidance for schools from Kentucky Department of Education

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 23, 2021) – On Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced he is issuing a new executive order that recommends all school districts, including private schools, offer or expand some form of in-person instructional opportunities beginning March 1.

If district personnel have not yet finished their vaccine series as of March 1, the executive order recommends some form of in-person instruction begin seven days after they have received their second vaccination.

“What we foresaw is that the safest way to expand in-person opportunities is to vaccinate all of our school personnel,” said Gov. Beshear. “Since then, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have moved that way and other states have followed our lead.”

Lt. Gov. Coleman said the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) issued a comprehensive, 136-page manual, KDE COVID-19 Guidance 2.0, which will assist with the shift back into school buildings.

“Kentucky continues to be a national leader in vaccinating our school staff, and getting our kids back in the classroom safely remains a top priority for every Kentuckian – from the Governor to our littlest learners,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “With this guidance, we hope to make the transition back to in-person learning as smooth and safe as possible.”

Lt. Gov. Coleman said the manual advises schools on planning school-related student travel; administering spring state testing; operating schools after teachers and staff are vaccinated; assessing knowledge gaps caused by the pandemic’s impact on learning; and using second round Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funding.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 1,497
New deaths today: 16
Positivity rate: 6.3%
Total deaths: 4,476
Currently hospitalized: 894
Currently in ICU: 242
Currently on ventilator: 121

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Boone, Laurel and Kenton. Each county reported at least 60 new cases. Jefferson County reported 208.

Governor announces regional vaccination sites will open Phase 1C appointments March 1

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 22, 2021) – On Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced COVID-19 cases have declined for six straight weeks in the commonwealth. He also reported the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases since Oct. 5.

“The trends are going in a positive direction, perhaps the most positive since the pandemic began,” said Gov. Beshear. “What that means is that we’re doing a good job. Do I think that vaccines are starting to have an impact? Certainly in the long-term care community. Hopefully we’ll see more of it in the overall state. But we’re seeing more people wearing masks, engaging in social distancing, thinking about the number of contacts they have in their day, and it is working.”

The Governor announced that regional vaccination sites will open to Kentuckians in Phase 1C beginning March 1, and he expects other vaccination sites to move into Phase 1C around the same time.

Gov. Beshear encouraged all vaccine sites to continue prioritizing Phase 1A and 1B individuals, even as 1C appointments are made as well. He asked all providers to continue outreach to vulnerable Kentuckians who may have a harder time navigating the vaccine sign-up system.

More than 583,000 Kentuckians have received at least their first dose of the vaccine.

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, updated Kentuckians on the federal pharmacy program for COVID-19 vaccines.

“The good news is, we have wildly expanded our vaccine provider network in a very short time frame,” said Dr. Stack. “As of today, we have 47 independent pharmacies and 77 Walgreens pharmacies across the state participating in this program to help get vaccines to Kentuckians right in their local communities. We are going to continue to move progressively faster, getting closer and closer to where you live.”

Finally, the Governor highlighted a tragic milestone in the nation’s war against COVID-19.

“This country has now lost more than 500,000 Americans to the coronavirus. It is an almost unimaginable loss. While we have good news about the direction things are going, we’re going to emerge from this with a lot of scars inside and out,” said Gov. Beshear. “Let’s all remember that we’ve got to love one another and be patient with one another through that. While I hope that we are months away from the end of this virus, it’s going to take a little longer to process our collective grief.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 530
New deaths today: 13
Positivity rate: 6.6%
Total deaths: 4,460
Currently hospitalized: 870
Currently in ICU: 243
Currently on ventilator: 119