During Tuesday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear wasted little time drawing his concerns toward west Kentucky — opening his discussions with rising, troublesome forecasts for the Jackson Purchase.
Beshear also noted that under recent Center for Disease Control guidance, both he and Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, are recommending COVID-19 booster shots at least 28 days after for those very specifically immunocompromised, including:
— anyone with active and recent treatment for cancer
— anyone with solid-organ or blood-related stem cell transplants
— those with DiGeorge or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, which cause severe immunodeficiency
— advanced and untreated HIV infections
— and anyone regularly taking immunosuppressive medications
Stack added that those in assisted living and nursing homes across the Commonwealth are already being offered a third dose of the vaccines, as it was assisted living facilities and nursing homes that were the hardest hit during the first upturn in the coronavirus pandemic.
The rest of the general population, Stack said, are not currently recommended to get a third dose of the vaccine — as current studies show it’s not necessary at this time.
As of Tuesday, more than 4.7 billion people worldwide had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 200 million Americans have at least one dose of the vaccine.
In Kentucky, vaccination numbers are continuing to rise. More than 2.4 million had received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday, and more than 5,800 Kentuckians received a vaccine in the last 24 hours.
More than 2,100 new cases were announced on Tuesday, with a 12.4% state-wide positivity rate, while total hospitalizations crested above 1,500 and ICU admittance pushed north of 400.
Of Kentucky’s 120 counties, 17 have reached a 50% vaccinated population.
