Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear reported 3,057 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday during his final live press conference of the week, and urged people to be safe during the holidays.
That brings the overall total in the state up to 247,344 and the positivity rate stayed fairly steady at 8.48 percent. In an update on vaccines, while the first shipment of Moderna vaccines is about 12,000 doses smaller than anticipated, Governor Beshear says they received word of a third shipment to come later from Pfizer.
The governor urged people to keep Christmas celebrations smaller than you might normally, limiting it to two households, in an effort to not lose the ground the state has gained in controlling the spread of coronavirus.
The governor says he’s pleased with the money targeted for local and state governments that was passed in the recent COVID-19 federal relief bill, which will go towards funding testing capabilities, contact tracing and other vital needs, such as vaccine distribution.
Twenty-eight more Kentuckians have died in relation to COVID-19, bringing the death toll up to 2,440 since the pandemic began. The Tennessee Department of Health reported 4,441 new cases Tuesday, along with a record 133 deaths—putting the death toll in the Volunteer State at 6,269.