Governor Beshear says Kentucky is following the FDA’s recommendation and pausing the administration of the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
The governor also reported 799 new cases of COVID-19, and that the positivity rate has increased once again, now at 3.20 percent. Tuesday morning, the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the pause after extremely rare blood clotting conditions developed in six Americans who received the J&J COVID-19 vaccine, out of 6.8 million total Americans who have received it.
Governor Beshear says the state received about 210,000 total doses of the Johnson and Johnson, and there have been no reports of the blood clots that resulted in the FDA’s recommendation—he doesn’t expect the pause to have a big effect on Kentucky’s vaccination plans.
He is concerned it may cause more hesitancy among people who are not getting vaccinated.
The governor reported three new deaths, bringing the death toll in the Commonwealth up to 6,261.
The Tennessee Department of Health reported 1,457 new cases of COVID-19, along with seven deaths—the positivity rate in the Volunteer State is now at 9.45 percent.