The commonwealth of Kentucky is putting more pieces in place for large-scale vaccinations. Health, government and business leaders believe February will be an improvement over this month. But it is tough to tell if that improvement will make much of a difference initially.As Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced four mass vaccination sites Thursday, Northern Kentucky was all ears."We were actually surprised by the governor's announcement yesterday because Northern Kentucky wasn't one of those sites," said Brent Cooper, who heads the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. "We were thinking that it would be."Beshear said there would be two mass sites in Paducah, one in Danville and one in Lexington as a start.Cooper and others in this area expect Beshear will include Northern Kentucky when he makes additional site announcements next week and the following week.The Chamber was told Northern Kentucky wasn't quite ready even though the 20% positivity rate in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties dwarfs the statewide rate of just under 12%.However, there isn't enough supply anyway. And as the St. Elizabeth experience demonstrates, this area of the Bluegrass has administered 98% of what it has."We were able to distribute today, even without that site, we're able to distribute what we're getting. We're just hoping that the vaccine dramatically increases," Cooper told us.Kentucky receives 56,000 doses a week. It could get an additional 8,800 doses per week when the Biden administration releases more to the states.Kentucky has the capacity to administer 250,000 doses a week. It is ranked in the top 10 for state distribution efficiency. The northern counties lead the way on that. They comprise one of the three most populous areas in Kentucky along with Louisville and Lexington.We're told 90,000 residents who are 70 and older from the 1B grouping have had their initial COVID-19 vaccine shot. There's another 400,000 of them to go.When you add a million Kentuckians in 1C to the mix, even the promised increase in doses from the new administration won't cover everybody."This is going to be a multi, multi-month process," noted Kris Knochelmann, the Kenton County Judge Executive. "This isn't about just waiting till February and then everybody's available."There's a push on to move child care providers into the 1B group. But that has yet to happen.The state's new website provides useful information about what to expect. You should understand it is not a scheduling tool. But you can get alerted for when you're eligible."Our advice is to be patient, but stay ready," Cooper stated.At just under 9,000 additional doses a week, you'll need more patience than readiness.
The commonwealth of Kentucky is putting more pieces in place for large-scale vaccinations.
Health, government and business leaders believe February will be an improvement over this month. But it is tough to tell if that improvement will make much of a difference initially.
As Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced four mass vaccination sites Thursday, Northern Kentucky was all ears.
"We were actually surprised by the governor's announcement yesterday because Northern Kentucky wasn't one of those sites," said Brent Cooper, who heads the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. "We were thinking that it would be."
Beshear said there would be two mass sites in Paducah, one in Danville and one in Lexington as a start.
Cooper and others in this area expect Beshear will include Northern Kentucky when he makes additional site announcements next week and the following week.
The Chamber was told Northern Kentucky wasn't quite ready even though the 20% positivity rate in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties dwarfs the statewide rate of just under 12%.
However, there isn't enough supply anyway. And as the St. Elizabeth experience demonstrates, this area of the Bluegrass has administered 98% of what it has.
"We were able to distribute today, even without that site, we're able to distribute what we're getting. We're just hoping that the vaccine dramatically increases," Cooper told us.
Kentucky receives 56,000 doses a week. It could get an additional 8,800 doses per week when the Biden administration releases more to the states.
Kentucky has the capacity to administer 250,000 doses a week. It is ranked in the top 10 for state distribution efficiency. The northern counties lead the way on that. They comprise one of the three most populous areas in Kentucky along with Louisville and Lexington.
We're told 90,000 residents who are 70 and older from the 1B grouping have had their initial COVID-19 vaccine shot. There's another 400,000 of them to go.
When you add a million Kentuckians in 1C to the mix, even the promised increase in doses from the new administration won't cover everybody.
"This is going to be a multi, multi-month process," noted Kris Knochelmann, the Kenton County Judge Executive. "This isn't about just waiting till February and then everybody's available."
There's a push on to move child care providers into the 1B group. But that has yet to happen.
The state's new website provides useful information about what to expect. You should understand it is not a scheduling tool. But you can get alerted for when you're eligible.
"Our advice is to be patient, but stay ready," Cooper stated.
At just under 9,000 additional doses a week, you'll need more patience than readiness.
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