Good news: First coronavirus vaccines given in Ky.; plan to re-open schools is announced; state saw a drop in cases last week

LaShawn Scott, one of the first to get the coronavirus vaccine in Kentucky, got it from fellow nurse
Sarah Bishop at University of Louisville Hospital. (Courier Journal photo by Michael Clevenger)

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Calling it a "heck of a week," Gov. Andy Beshear hailed the first coronavirus vaccinations, announced plans to resume in-person schooling and said last week's lower case numbers showed his aggressive measures work.

"Today marks the beginning of the end of Covid-19. We are going to defeat this virus in 2021," Beshear said Monday, adding later, "This is a great day. This is a truly great day."  

Beshear announced 1,802 new cases of the virus in Kentucky on Monday, bringing the state's seven-day average down for the third straight day, to 3,203. 

Week-to-week case numbers also declined, by more than 1,000. The weekly number hadn't declined since mid-October, other than Thanksgiving week, when testing was limited.

State Department for Public Health graph, relabeled by Kentucky Health News; click it to enlarge

Beshear cautioned that the state is waiting to see the full impact of social gatherings and travel during Thanksgiving, but he again attributed the decline to his recent mandates such as shutting down schools and indoor food service. Most mandates went off today, with bars and restaurants allowed half capacity. 

"No question, just like March and April, just like in July, taking these steps has made a difference, at least slowing if not plateauing the growth," Beshear said, noting his initial lockdown and his mask mandate. "And we hope we will continue to see a decline."

Another indicator, he said, is the share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days. It rose slightly, to 8.58%, but had gone down for 10 straight days, by nearly 1.5 percentage points. "That's a big deal and that's a leading indicator," Beshear said.  

Schools: The governor announced new public-health guidance for schools, designed to allow those in red zones -- counties at least 25 new cases of the virus in the past seven days -- to hold some level of in-person classes. On Monday, only two counties were not in the red zone: Fulton and Owsley. 

The plan adjusts the recommendations for counties in red and orange zones, primarily by asking schools in those counties to implement "more aggressive" hybrid learning to reduce the number of people in schools. 

It also asks schools to provide a meaningful virtual option for all classes in order to avoid forcing immuno-compromised students to choose between their health and their education, Beshear said. He said one school had not offered advanced placement classes in its hybrid plan. 

He said schools must accommodate employees who fall into a high-risk category with a virtual option, and his "Healthy at School" guidelines will be mandatory starting Jan. 4. They include rules for masking and social distancing.

The K-12 Covid-19 Dashboard shows that last week, 1,141 students and 669 staff were quarantined, with 785 new students and 511 new staff reporting that they had tested positive for the virus. 

Significantly, the state Department for Public Health now recommends that schools return to in-person learning on Jan. 11, instead of the originally suggested Jan. 4. Beshear said that would make the period from Christmas to the the first day of school 14 days, the incubation period of the virus.

Beshear said his administration is still collecting suggestions and working to finalize the language for his executive order on schools, which he expects to post later in the week. 

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, an educator by trade, said all of these strategies to get students back in the classroom depend on community members doing their part too. 

"If there is ever a group of people that I trust more than anyone to create and implement mitigation strategies with fidelity to protect our kids, it is certainly our educators. And I know Governor Beshear shares the same trust that I have with them," she said. "But here's the thing: They can't do it alone. It takes every one of us doing the right thing to help our kids experience the consistency of classroom [learning] again. Even the best mitigation strategies in large congregate populations, like our schools, cannot overcome the most self-serving behaviors." 

Implicitly appealing to those with pandemic fatigue, she said, "We are almost there. Make sure that you mask up and do everything that you need to do to help get our kids back in school and help them to stay there."

Hospitals: Beshear said three hospital-preparedness regions had more than 80% of their intensive-care beds occupied: Barren River, 87.8%; Lake Cumberland, 93.5%; and the easternmost region 83.1%.  He said the figures would be updated on Mondays.

State Department for Public Health map, relabeled by Ky. Health News; click on it to enlarge.

Earlier in the day, Beshear watched as the first frontline health-care worker received the first round of the coronavirus vaccine in Kentucky.

The first person vaccinated was Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer at University of Louisville Health, who said he hopes others will follow suit as it becomes available, the Courier Journal reports. “I fully believe this is a safe and effective vaccine,” he said. “I volunteered to go first because of that.”

Beshear watched as Smith, two nurses and two other doctors prepared to get the vaccine that had arrived at the hospital in a UPS truck about an hour before, at 9:40 a.m. “Today for the very first time we are vaccinating Kentuckians against this virus,” he said. “This is truly a great day in the commonwealth.”

Two other Kentucky hospitals, Baptist Health Lexington and the Medical Center at Bowling Green, each got 975 doses Monday and began vaccinating, Beshear's office said in a news release. Eight more are in line to get part of the first shipment of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech.

Medical Center President and CEO Connie M. Smith said in the release, “We have seen firsthand the impact of this devastating virus on our patients, physicians and health care workers, as well as the community. Now is not the time to let our guard down. While the arrival of the vaccine is a game-changer in the fight against this pandemic, we recognize that the delivery of subsequent vaccines for the general public will take time over several months. We all must continue to wear a mask, practice proper hygiene and keep socially distant. Let’s finish this together!”

The governor said CVS and Walgreens, which have federal contracts to vaccinate nursing-home residents and staff, are expected to start those shots Monday. He said the goal is to immunize all long-term care residents by the end of February.

In long-term-care facilities, Beshear reported 2,760 active cases among residents and 1,401 in staff. There have been 1,544 resident deaths and seven staff deaths, nearly 70% of the state's total. Beshear said that shows the importance of making vaccinations in long-term care among the first. 

Beshear said he hopes educators can start getting vaccinated in February. Asked about when essential workers and people at moderate risk can get shots, Beshear noted that the federal government is still working on those guidelines and is considering whether older people in high-risk categories or those who are considered essential workers should be vaccinated next. He said about 91% of the state's Covid-19 deaths are in people over 60. 

"We know that victory is in sight," said Beshear. "And if we are smart and we work hard between now and when we can get everyone vaccinated and we don't do rash things like eliminate protections we have in place, we can save so many lives because everyone lost between now and when we get everyone vaccinated is an avoidable loss." 

Beshear said he is likely to be vaccinated next week "as part of the rollout and to build confidence." 

The governor announced 17 additional Covid-19 deaths on Monday, bringing the state's confirmed death toll to 2,224. 

William Orban Manns

Beshear honored the life of William Orban Manns of Mount Sterling, who died at 65 from Covid-19 on Nov. 25. Beshear said Manns and his entire family were tested in preparation for his daughter Pamela's upcoming procedure and that they all tested positive. She told Beshear they were shocked that they had the virus, because they did everything right: lived on the same property, quarantined together, always wore masks and only left home for the occasional errand or grocery run. In addition to his daughter, Manns is survived by his wife -- who was also hospitalized with Covid-19, but is now home -- a son-in-law, and three grandchildren.

"Our thoughts and our prayers are with William's entire family as they mourn his loss and still recover from the virus. . . . We're going to honor him by doing better every single day," said Beshear.  

In other coronavirus news Monday:

• The 17 additional Covid-19 fatalities were a 74-year-old man from Bath County; a 92-year-old Calloway County woman; a 92-year-old woman and an 81-year-old man from Fayette County; a 61-year-old woman and two men, 69 and 83, from Hopkins County; two women, 37 and 74, and a 77-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 77-year-old woman from Jessamine County; a 67-year-old Lawrence County man; two Oldham County men, 55 and 59; and three Washington County women, 66, 83 and 84.
• Counties with 10 or more new cases were: Jefferson, 346; Fayette, 146; Boone, 73; Warren, 53; Kenton, 49; Pulaski, 49; Carter, 44; Harlan, 44; Christian, 43; McCracken, 41; Boyd, 39; Madison, 34; Oldham, 28; Caldwell, 27; Campbell, Graves, Letcher and Logan, 22; Franklin, 21; Adair, 19; Boyle, Bullitt and Shelby, 19; Greenup and Woodford 18; Scott, Taylor, Trigg and Wayne, 17; Harrison, 16; Elliott and Magoffin, 15; Muhlenberg and Simpson, 14; Perry, 13; Bell, Daviess, Hopkins, Marion and Mercer, 12; Jessamine, Rowan, Todd and Whitley, 11; and Calloway, Henry and Johnson, 10.
• There are 1,712 people hospitalized for Covid-19 in Kentucky, 441 of them in intensive care and 243 of those on a ventilators.
• Beshear re-opened the state's Eviction Relief Fund and will leave it open until exhausted, which is anticipated to happen Tuesday or Wednesday. His news release said this reopening is only for past-due rent between March through December 2020, not future rent. An estimated $1.4 million is available. Click here to apply.
• The Lexington Herald-Leader produced a series of graphs to show coronavirus cases, covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Fayette County, including deaths in individual nursing homes. Here's one: