As Delta variant spreads, Beshear recommends return to indoor masking for some

Fully-vaccinated Kentuckians who work in jobs with “significant public exposure” should consider wearing a mask again in indoor public spaces, Gov. Andy Beshear recommended on Monday, citing rising case numbers and escalating spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

The governor is also recommending a return to masking in indoor public settings for fully-vaccinated Kentuckians at high-risk of severe coronavirus infection because of pre-existing health conditions. High-exposure jobs include retail and hospitality businesses, as well as any job that requires contact with many different people.

“The more people you come in contact with, the more exposure you are likely to have, so we believe at this point it is a smart idea,” Beshear said.

The new recommendations, which apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, are necessary because “we are seeing more cases among vaccinated Kentuckians because of the Delta variant,” Beshear said, and because most of the state’s counties have vaccination rates at or below 40%, a rate that is not high enough to thwart community spread of the virus.

Though vaccination overwhelmingly protects people from developing severe infection, it’s not yet known how likely a fully-vaccinated person is to test positive and transmit the virus, Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack said.

The number of total confirmed cases of the Delta variant wasn’t immediately available Monday afternoon — on July 8 there were 26, statewide — but either way, it’s an under count. Only about 4.5% of all new coronavirus cases are sequenced to determine if they are the Delta strain, Beshear said.

Even though the exact level of Delta spread isn’t known, echoing a point repeated by national health experts, “We don’t have any reason to dispute the Delta variant is now the dominant variant of the strain in Kentucky,” Beshear said.

Kentucky’s number of new coronavirus cases and its positivity rate have risen for three consecutive weeks; the positivity rate on Monday was 5.48% — the highest since late March — having increased from 1.99% on July 1. Hospitalizations have sharply increased in the last week, jumping from 233 on Monday, July 12 to 337 on July 19.

These upticks come after more than two months of declining or plateauing infection rates as a result of increased accessibility to coronavirus vaccines. Though vaccines are plentiful, the rate of new immunizations across the state has stalled at roughly 50%.

Areas with the highest vaccination rates are largely concentrated in and around cities, while most of Kentucky’s more rural counties have vaccination rates of 40% or lower, and many have 30% or fewer residents vaccinated. That means a large swath of the state continues to be vulnerable to spread of infection and outbreaks — a threat exacerbated by the more contagious Delta variant.

Beshear reiterated that all unvaccinated Kentuckians should wear masks in all indoor public settings — guidance he has repeated since the statewide mask mandate was lifted earlier this summer. While the new masking recommendations are to ensure the safety of everyone, Beshear said the most effective tool people have to protect against the coronavirus is to get vaccinated.

“This is all it would take to protect America, if folks would do it,” he said. While both he and Stack emphasized the importance of vaccination, Beshear said consideration of a statewide vaccine mandate is not on the table, even among groups who care for at-risk populations, such as long-term care facility staff.

“We don’t think a mandate from state government would be effective and is not a step we’re taking,” the governor said.