The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine have arrived in Kentucky and the commonwealth will play a large role in distributing the vaccines to the eastern half of the United States.
Governor Andy Beshear says the initial doses arrived at the UPS Worldport in Louisville to be dispersed across the region.
The most positive news is that the first Kentuckians will be vaccinated Monday morning.
Kentucky’s initial shipment includes 12,675 doses that will be shipped to 11 regional hospitals, including Baptist Health Hospital in Madisonville.
An additional 23,350 are being delivered to CVS and Walgreens, destined for long-term care facilities in the commonwealth. Those residents and front-line healthcare workers will be the first to be vaccinated.
Approval is also expected any day for the Moderna vaccine. Kentucky could receive 150,000 doses of vaccine this month.
The governor also announced 2,454 new COVID-19 cases and 15 more deaths, including a 79-year old man from Hopkins County. Kentucky saw 1,235 fewer positive cases and the positivity rate declined 1.23 percent over a seven-day period ending Sunday.
There are currently 1,712 Kentuckians in a hospital with the virus, 434 are in the ICU and 224 are on a ventilator. The state’s positivity rate is 8.52 percent.
Tennessee announced a record 11,352 new cases and 62 more deaths. Tennessee’s positivity rate is down to 12.95 percent and 2,680 Volunteer State residents are in the hospital with coronavirus.