Just under 60 percent of all Kentuckians have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but Governor Andy Beshear says it’s going to take more people getting the shot to stop the spread of the virus.
That updated number based on new census data also shows 91 percent of Kentuckians 65 and older are vaccinated, 71 percent of folks 18 and up have received at least one vaccine dose and 69 percent of folks 12 and up.
Two specific age groups lagging behind are less than half of Kentuckians 18 to 29 and 12 to 17 have gotten a shot.
Predictably, Governor Beshear says school-aged kids are driving the current surge in cases.
Sixty-six of Kentucky’s 96 hospitals are now at limited staffing shortage—an all-time high for the pandemic.
There were 68 deaths from Saturday through Monday and about 10,000 new cases.
While the numbers show less cases last week than the week before and a higher positivity rate, the governor says part of that is likely due to a decrease in testing.