As COVID numbers fall, Beshear not ready to ‘rip off the Band Aid’

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kentucky had its eighth straight week of declining COVID cases and a similar trend in every other major barometer from positivity rate to hospitalizations.

It is all good news, Gov. Andy Beshear said, while at the same time cautioning state residents to stay on guard and not become complacent, especially with cases of the new variants continuing to show up in the city.

Citing the new guidelines released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control, for people who have been completely vaccinated, the governor noted that even those guidelines encourage caution, continuing to wear masks in public and social distancing in public.

When asked during his daily briefing if he was ready to remove virtually every restriction like Texas and Mississippi have, Beshear said the rise in cases in those two states suggest their decisions weren’t prudent.

“We can’t just rip off the Band Aid like Texas and Mississippi.We will loosen restriction, but we will do it in min that we are so close to the finish line that we don’t want to leave anyone behind,” Beshear said.

The weekly case numbers are down to levels last seen the second week in September while the 4.06 percent positivity rate was last seen during the same period. The 331 new cases reported Monday was the lowest since Sept. 14, Beshear said.

The 10 deaths reported Monday brought the state’s total to 4,829 a year after the first case was confirmed in the state.

And the number of people vaccinated continues to grow with 834,130 people receiving at least one of the shots through Monday. That represents about 25 percent of the state’s eligible population over age 16.

“This is the exact type of trajectory we want to see as we are vaccinating people,” said Beshear. “This is in many ways a race against time against the variants. If we can continue that downward trajectory while increasing the number of people vaccinated, we can hopefully get to the end of this thing sooner rather than later. The President has made a promise that all adults who want to be vaccinated will be able to get their first shot by at least the end of May.”

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, updated Kentuckians on new guidance for fully vaccinated individuals from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“For adults who are fully vaccinated, the CDC is now saying those individuals within their own homes can gather in small groups with other fully vaccinated adults,” said Dr. Stack. “If vaccinated and unvaccinated people are mixed together in a gathering, generally you should still practice social distancing and wear your masks.

“The other guidance – and this is really important – when you are out in public settings, whether you are vaccinated or not, please wear your masks, social distance, wash your hands and continue to do those behaviors until we get everybody vaccinated, particularly the most vulnerable in society. There has also been no relaxation of the travel guidance by the CDC yet in relation to vaccination status. The new guidance released today is great news overall, but we still have to be careful.”

As of 4 p.m. Monday, March 8, the state reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 331
New deaths today: 10
Positivity rate: 4.06%
Total deaths: 4,829
Currently hospitalized: 539
Currently in ICU: 161
Currently on ventilator: 82

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Scott and McCracken. Each county reported at least 10 new cases.

To see a list of those reported lost to the virus today, click here.

Kentucky’s COVID-19 Vaccine Website, vaccine.ky.gov, shows Kentuckians which phase they are in specifically. Individuals can sign up for notifications so state officials can communicate with them when doses become available at new and existing sites. Vaccine.ky.gov also lists regional vaccination partners statewide, so Kentuckians can search their county or region and see how to schedule an appointment.

Kentucky’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline, 855-598-2246, has the same features as the website. Kentuckians can get assistance completing the vaccine eligibility questionnaire and scheduling an appointment when doses are available.

Free or reduced-cost transportation to and from vaccine appointments is offered by public transit agencies across the commonwealth. These services are already operating in over 90 counties, covering 75% of all counties across Kentucky. Kentuckians can find transportation services near them by heading to kycovid19.ky.gov for a full list of participating public transit agencies and their phone numbers, or by calling the Kentucky COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline.