COVID-19 vaccines have started to be given to residents at long term care facilities in Kentucky, with Governor Andy Beshear saying this is the start of the end of the pandemic in the state.
Long term care residents have made up a large portion of COVID fatalities since the pandemic began, and with vaccines starting to be administered, the governor is hopeful those numbers will significantly decrease.
He says it’s his hope to have everyone, residents and staff, of those facilities vaccinated against coronavirus by March.
Walgreens and CVS will be working to administer vaccines to the those facilities, with CEO Gene Hoover clarifying that while vaccines won’t be available to the general public just yet, they’re eagerly awaiting that day.
Governor Beshear says he will not make the vaccine mandatory, but they will work to assure people the shot is safe and effective.
After long term care is addressed, the governor says they’re still developing a plan about who will get vaccines next—no matter what is decided, it could be a huge undertaking. Kentucky gained 1,988 new cases, with Governor Beshear reporting an 8.64 percent positivity rate—15 more Kentuckians have died, raising the death toll to 2,412.