Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says the state might not just be in a plateau for new COVID-19 cases, it might even be in the start of a decline.
He reported Monday afternoon that new cases, the positivity rate and the number of individuals in the hospital were all decreasing over the weekend—he reported 3,171 new cases Saturday, 1,563 on Sunday and then 1,729 on Monday. He says they’re watching the data closely and are hopeful this shows the state is heading in the right direction, with the positivity rate at 10.55 percent.
Governor Beshear says despite that good news, there were still 85 newly reported deaths from across the weekend, and they’re seeing younger and previously healthy individuals on that list, so he urges everyone to get vaccinated and keep masking up.
He says a decrease would really help with overtaxed hospitals, but a plateau would not be ideal as new cases are still much too high. In an update on possible booster shots, Governor Beshear urged people to go online and check to see if they are eligible to receive a third dose.
Teams from the federal government will be coming into Kentucky to help administer monoclonal antibodies to those who need them—he says they intend to have an update on their website this week identifying where the treatment can be found. He does remind people but the antibody treatment is being rationed by the federal government, so there will likely not be enough to go around, so it is wise to still get vaccinated.