Kentucky's rate of COVID-19 vaccinations has dropped about 6 percentage points after the state adjusted the numbers to reflect that some immunizations at Kroger pharmacies had been counted twice by the federal government, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.
As a result, the state has about 56% to 57% percent of its residents who have received at least the first dose of vaccine instead of the 62% reported on the state public health website.
Beshear said state officials discovered about 10 days ago that some numbers reported to the federal government and to the state by Kroger had been inadvertently duplicated.
COVID vaccine for kids under 12:What parents in Kentucky need to know
"This was not intentional by anybody," Beshear said. "Kroger's been a great partner with us in testing and vaccinations and we do not blame anyone for this."
The correction means that 2.53 million Kentuckians have received at least one dose of vaccine instead of the 2.78 million previously reported.
A Kroger spokeswoman said the duplication appeared to have occurred through the way the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collects data reported by Kroger to the CDC as a federal retail pharmacy partner, and to the Kentucky Immunization Registry, as a state-level pharmacy partner.
"The issue creating this duplication has been resolved and will not recur following this one-time adjustment to the reporting," spokeswoman Erin Grant said.
The correction means vaccination rates among various age groups in the state and in some counties likely will be adjusted downward as well, Beshear said.
Read also:Here's what to know about Hazard High School's controversial 'Man Pageant' homecoming
It comes as the state continues to try to increase vaccination rates to avoid further surges in COVID-19 infection such as the one triggered by the recent delta variant that struck largely the unvaccinated and sent cases and hospitalizations soaring.
Beshear said it's important to have accurate numbers as part of that effort.
"If we're gonna get folks vaccinated and protected, we really have to have the most accurate count," he said.
Reach Deborah Yetter at [email protected] or 502-582-4228. Find her on Twitter at @d_yetter. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/subscribe.
