Beshear: Kentuckians under 30 need to ‘pick up the pace’ of COVID-19 vaccination
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 776 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Tuesday and seven additional deaths, as he again pleaded with Kentuckians to get vaccinated.
“We need to pick up the pace, especially among younger Kentuckians,” Beshear said in a written news brief. New appointments are available every week, often every day, he said. “At some sites, you don’t even need an appointment. Get it done, for yourself and for your community, so we can reach our goal and relax more restrictions.”
Across the state, 1,825,176 people have received at least their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, but state Department for Public Health figures show only 1,524 new doses were given in the last day. As Beshear said, younger people share some of the lowest vaccination rates across the commonwealth. Monday’s vaccination data showed 27% of people between the ages 18-29 have gotten their shots, compared with 37% of people 30-39 and 43% of people 40-49, according to state data.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Joe Biden set a new nationwide goal of delivering at least one dose to 70% of the population, and fully vaccinating 170 million Americans, by July 4. Everyone ages 16 and older became eligible for a vaccine in Kentucky a month ago, but the pace of new shots has slowed. The University of Kentucky on Tuesday announced plans to dismantle its mass vaccination site inside Kroger Field in the coming weeks, which first opened in January, because of a marked drop in people signing up for appointments.
The positivity rate rose slightly from Monday to 3.47%. There are 434 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 102 in intensive care and 48 on a ventilator. The state has confirmed a total of 446,221 coronavirus cases and 6,532 deaths.
