Poll: 12% of U.S. voters say abortion is their top voting issue

Kentucky Health News

About one in eight voters said in a national poll last month that abortion will be the most important issue influencing their votes this year, and most opposed the 16-week abortion ban that former president Donald Trump has reportedly discussed endorsing.

Most voters who say abortion is the most important issue to their vote say abortion should be legal in all cases. "This is a significant shift from elections prior to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, when abortion voters were largely those who identified as pro-life," says the Kaiser Family Foundation, which sponsored the poll.

Though the issue has become a major dividing line between the major political parties, 43% of Republicans say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. However, "Few Republicans who want abortion to be legal seem ready to buck their party over the abortion issue," the foundation says.

Asked about a national 16-week abortion ban, 58% of voters oppose it; 63% of Republicans favor it.

Kentucky has both a six-week abortion ban and a law that bans all abortions except those needed to save the woman's life or prevent serious, permanent damage to a life-sustaining organ.

The national poll found Americans largely supportive of abortion rights. Examples include:

• 66% support a federal guarantee of abortion rights.
• 86% of adults, including large majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans, said they would allow abortion in pregnancy-related emergencies such as miscarriages.
• More tahn 60% oppose making it a crime for health-care providers to mail abortion pills to patients in states where abortion is prohibited, and policies that prohibit clinics that receive federal funds from providing abortions or referring patients to abortion providers.

Asked how they think about abortion, most said it is an issue of individual rights and freedoms (81%), a health-care issue (68%) and a moral issue (62%). Only 41% see it as a religious issue, but 41%of Republicans do.

"Many voters, especially Democrats, see the 2024 election as a high-stakes election for determining the future of access to abortion and contraception," the pollsters said. Half of voters say they think the elections for president, Congress, and state legislatures will have a 'major impact' on access to abortion." That view is driven by Democratic voters (about two-thirds) and those who say abortion is their most important voting issue (about 70%).

The poll was conducted Feb. 20-28, online and by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,316 U.S. adults, including 1,072 registered voters. Interviews were conducted in English and in Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and 4 percentage points for the sample of registered voters. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.

Poll shows Beshear, Cameron in dead heat; most voters say they oppose current abortion law that lacks rape and incest exceptions

Emerson College graph adapted by Kentucky Health News; click to enlarge

By Al Cross
Kentucky
Health News 

From the start, the X factor in the Kentucky governor’s race has been former president Donald Trump: Would his endorsement propel Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron past Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who has had high approval ratings and led in every public poll? Now a poll taken in the last four days indicates strongly that it could.

The survey, taken by Emerson College of Massachusetts, shows Beshear and Cameron in a dead heat, with 46.9 percent for each candidate and 3.9 percent undecided. Another 2.3 percent said they would vote for someone else, which would require write-in voting, because no other gubernatorial slate is on the ballot. Adding undecided voters who said they were leaning one way or another, Cameron leads, 49.3% to 48.4%. The poll has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The result differs strikingly from an Emerson poll taken at the start of October, which showed Beshear with 49% and Cameron with 33%. But that poll was of registered voters, while this one was of 1,000 Kentuckians who said they were very likely to vote or had already voted. Early voting began Thursday, the last day of the poll, and about 2% of votes in statewide races are typically cast by absentee ballots.

Even with this poll, the big question about the election remains which voters will actually turn out to vote. In response to a question from Kentucky Health News, Emerson said it called about 250,000 people, texted about 15,000, emailed about 15,000 and had an online panel of voters aged 18 to 29. 

The poll started Monday, Oct. 30, and ended Thursday, Nov. 2. At midday Tuesday, the Cameron campaign sent Trump supporters a video endorsement of Cameron by the former president. Before that, TV advertising by Cameron and groups supporting him increasingly featured the endorsement, which Cameron obtained months before the Republican primary election.

Spencer Kimball, director of the poll, said in a press release that Cameron appears to have gained ground by consolidating support from Republicans who supported Trump in 2020. In the October poll, 54% of Trump supporters supported Cameron; in the latest survey, it was 79%.

The poll also found a similar increase for Cameron among voters aged 50 to 69; 58% of them said they support Cameron; in the October poll, he was getting only 36% of their votes. Beshear’s share dropped to 40% from 49%.

The poll also asked voters if they “support or oppose Kentucky’s current laws that ban abortion in nearly all cases, with no exception for rape or incest.” Beshear has criticized Cameron for opposing such exceptions and said the overturned Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision was generally correct.
The poll found that 55% of likely voters oppose Kentucky's law and only 28% support it, with 17% unsure.

“Majorities of both men and women voters oppose the abortion law,” Kimball said. “Fifty-two percent of men and 58% of women voters oppose the laws, while support is relatively similar: 30% of male voters and 28% of women voters support the abortion laws.”

Three-quarters of Democrats said they oppose the law, and 47% of independents said likewise. Among, Republicans, 42% said they support it, while 37% said they opposed, and 21% were unsure. Generally, the younger the voter, the more likely they were to oppose the law.

The poll was sponsored by WDKY-TV, Fox 56, in Lexington. It was conducted mainly by automated, recorded calls to landlines. About 10% of responses came via texts to and from cell phones. About 34% came from an online panel of voters provided by Centiment Data and 1.6% came from emails provided by Aristotle, the Emerson press release said.

One-fourth of Kentuckians say they have ever been diagnosed with depression; only W.Va. was higher in national CDC survey

Centers for Disease Conrol and Prevention map, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

One in four Kentucky adults in a poll taken in 2020 said they had ever been diagnosed with depression, a higher share than in any state but West Virginia.

Kentucky's age-adusted percentage was 25%; West Virginia's was 27.5%. The national figure in the poll, taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was 18.4%.

The poll was taken by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing CDC-state project in which state employees do random-digit–dialed landline and cell phone calls to adults. The question was, “Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had a depressive disorder, including depression, major depression, dysthymia, or minor depression?”

In Kentucky, the county with the highest age-adjusted percentage of people answering "yes" was Wolfe County, at an estimated 30.7%. (That was the most likely percentage in a range of 28.8% to 32.5%, at a confidence level of 95%, or 19 out of 20 cases.)

The rest of the top 10 were Harlan, 29.7% (27.9-31.6); Jackson, 28.9% (27.1-30.9); Casey, 28.9% (27.1-30.7); Clay and Magoffin, 28.8% (27.1-30.6); Bell and Knox, 28.7% (27-30.5); Letcher, 28.6% (26.9-30.5); and Lewis, 28.6% (26.9-30.4). Figures for all counties can be downloaded here.

The 29 counties with the highest estimated shares of reported depression, and 38 of the top 40, were in Appalachia as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission, which includes 54 Kentucky counties. The highest estimated rate, 31.9%, was in Logan County, West Virginia.

Phil Galewitz of KFF Health News went to Logan and reports that stigma around the topic of mental health is a major obstacle to addressing the problem. Psychiatrist David Lewis of Coalfield Health Center, who grew up in the and taught high-school math there, told Galewitz that people in the region often view seeking mental-health help as being “weak in faith.”

Most states with the highest levels of reported depression were in Appalachia, the southern Mississippi Valley, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Washington, the CDC said in reporting the data. It noted, "Depression is a major contributor to death, illness, disability, and economic costs."

In Kentucky, the counties with the lowest rates of reported depression were Oldham, 21.9%; Boone, 22%; Lyon, 23.6%; Shelby, 23.8%; Fayette, Hardin and Woodford, 24%; Jefferson, 24.2%; Christian, 24.3%; Nelson, 24.4%; Jessamine, 24.5%; Scott and Spencer, 24.6%; Bullitt, 24.7%; and Boyle, 24.8%.

Generally, high-income counties had lower rates of reported depression, and low-income counties had higher rates. Reported depression was "higher in women, younger adults, and adults with lower education levels," the CDC said.

Having been diagnosed with depression is not the same thing as having had depression. Another CDC survey in 2020 asked people if they had suffered symnptoms of depression, and at one point 31% of Kentuckians in the poll said they had.

Kentuckians' sense of well-being, as measured by analysis of Gallup polls from 2008 to 2017, was second lowest in U.S.

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

Kentuckians' sense of well-being from 2008 to 2017 was the worst of any U.S. state except West Virginia, according to a research paper that uses polling data to compare life satisfaction, enjoyment, smiling and being well-rested along with the negative affects of pain, sadness, anger and worry. 

The research also looks at 163 other nations, and ranks them along with U.S. states. In those rankings, Kentucky is 89th, just below Russia and Uruguay and just above South Korea and Belgium. West Virginia is 101st, just below Sri Lanka and just above Mauritania.

The research is being done by economics professor David G. Blanchflower of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and social-science professor Alex Bryson of University College London. It is published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit organization that says it is "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community."

The researchers write that their four positive measures aren't just the flip side of the negative measures: "It seems they are, at least to some extent, measuring different things. . . . The implication is that we might need more than life satisfaction alone to obtain a robust assessment of state rankings on well-being."

The four negative questions in the Gallup Inc. polls asked respondents if they had experienced physical pain, sadness, worry or anger "during a lot of the day yesterday." The four positive questions were:

• Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top. Suppose we say that the top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. If the top step is 10 and the bottom step is zero, on which step of the ladder do you feel you personally stand at the present time?
• Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about enjoyment?
• Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?
• Now, please think about yesterday, from the morning until the end of the day. Think about where you were, what you were doing, who you were with, and how you felt. Did you feel well-rested yesterday?

Kentucky's highest rank among the states and nations, 62nd, was for enjoyment the previous day. It ranked 71st in the ladder of life, 88th in smiling or laughing, and 138th in being well-rested.

Among the negative questions, with stronger responses resuilting in a lower ranking, Kentucky did best with anger, ranking 80th. It was 103rd in pain, 113th in sadness and 118th in worry.

The top state in the rankings was Hawaii, followed by Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Alaska and Wisconsin. The bottom 10, starting with No. 41, were Rhode Island, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Poll of rural Americans finds them more aware of, and more willing to discuss, opioid problems; 47% still see stigma

Morning Consult graph: 2017 and 2022 responses to question about access to care. Click to enlarge.

Rural Americans say they are more aware of, and more willing to talk about, the opioid problem in the nation and their communities than they were five years ago, according to an online poll of rural adults sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union.

Sixty percent said adults are more aware of the crisis than they were five years ago, and 77% said they would comfortable having a conversation about opioids, but 47% said there is stigma or shame associated with opioid abuse in their community.

Rural adults increasingly regard drug addiction as a disease. Asked if addiction to opioids is a disease or is due to a lack of will power or self-control, 57% said it's a disease and 21% said otherwise. In 2017, the numbers were 46% and 26%, respectively. Likewise, 78% said someone can accidentally or unintentionally get addicted to opioids; five years ago, 71% said that.

The poll found that more rural adults than five years ago believe there is a higher rate of opioid misuse in rural communities than in urban and suburban areas), and 48% said they know someone who is or has been addicted to opioids or prescription painkillers.

Asked if they had taken an opioid or prescription painkiller without a prescription, 5 percent said yes. The same percentage said they had abused opioids or prescription painkillers or been addicted to them. Asked how comfortable they would feel talking about that, 70% said they would feel very or somewhat comfortable discussing it with friends, 52% with siblings and 46% with parents. Beyond their immediate families, most said they would be not too comfortable, or not comfortable at all.

The margin of error for that subsample of 110 people is plus or minus 9.3 percentage points. The error margin for the whole sample of 2,010 rural adults is 2.2 percentage points. The poll was conducted online Oct. 6-13 by Morning Consult and the results were weighted to reflect gender, age, race, ethnicity, census region and education. The results are available from Farm Bureau here.

Farm Bureau and NFU, long rivals in representing farm interests, "have consistently worked to publicize and compile useful material to help address rural stress, mental health challenges and opioid misuse," they said in a press release. NFU President Rob Larew said, “We must continue to reduce the stigma to connect our loved ones with health care and treatment they may need. I thank AFBF for being a teammate on this project, and the survey results show what is possible when farm organizations work together.”

Medical cannabis bill will start in Senate; sponsor says Beshear issued order allowing it as 'wedge issue' and tool for re-election

UPDATE, Dec. 19: Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said on KET's "Kentucky Tonight" that the medical-marijuana bill should again start in the House, not the Senate. 

By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

State Sen. Stephen West said Dec. 13 that he will resume sponsoring medical marijuana legislation when the General Assembly convenes Jan. 3, and doesn't think the state should wait two years for completion of cannabis research that the legislature authorized in the last session.

"I don't believe we should wait. Of course, I'll admit I'm totally biased on the subject, obviously," West, R-Paris, told David "Kruser" Krusenklaus in an interview on Lexington's WVLK. "But I will admit and concede that there has been a lack of study in the United States on this subject." 

The legislature tasked the University of Kentucky Cannabis Center with researching the health effects of the cannabis plant, including its risks and benefits when used to treat certain medical conditions, after the state Senate again refused to hear a House-passed bill to authorize medical marijuana.

The other major result of the bill's failure was a Nov. 15 executive order by Gov. Andy Beshear that, beginning Jan. 1, allows possession of up to 8 ounces of cannabis for medical use by individuals who buy it in states where it is legal and have a doctor's statement that they have one of 21 conditions treated with it.

West was asked if the order, which uses the governor's pardon power, would be helpful or hurtful to getting a more comprehensive bill passed. He said he agreed with other Republicans (including the House bill's sponsor, Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville) who have said this would not be helpful. 

Sen. Stephen West

"I agree 100 percent with Rep. Nemes," West said. "The governor's approach has not been helpful in getting this thing across the finish line. You know, I'm not going to be too critical, but you know we're entering an election year and this issue polls through the roof; it's a very popular issue. And I believe the governor was just wanting to use this as a wedge issue . . . not only a wedge issue as we go into session, but also for his upcoming campaign." Beshear is on the ballot for re-election in 2023.

Beshear's office denied that the executive order was a political move.

"The governor has taken action to help veterans struggling with PTSD and Kentuckians suffering from chronic and terminal conditions, like seizures and cancer, because the General Assembly has failed to act," Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley said in an email. "There is nothing political about taking action on an issue that helps our Kentucky families and that 90% of Kentuckians support."

Beshear, a Democrat, created a Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee that held meetings around the state and reported that 98,6% of Kentuckians who offered an opinion on its website supported medical marijuana. West said actual public support is likely lower, but still high: probably 85% or above. A Kentucky Health Issues Poll found that 90% of Kentuckians favor medical cannabis.

West said the legislation will start in the Senate this time because it has passed the House twice but failed in the Senate. He said Republican senators who favor it agreed at a recent caucus that he would take the lead because he has sponsored such legislation in previous sessions, though not this year.

"Over the past five years, there's been progress, " he said. The House last passed a medical marijuana bill in the 2022 session by a vote of 59-34 . 

"I've been here since 2015," said West. "And my experience is that really any large-scale bill, in any subject that requires a lot of thought, takes a good four years to make it through the process. This is not unusual."

West said if legislators want to move the bill, they could do so quickly: "Our members are well aware of the issue and all the back and forth on it. If we wanted to move something, I don't think it would take a great deal of time." 

At least 37 states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. 

West pointed to European studies that show the efficacy of medical marijuana and said anecdotally we know that there are conditions where it helps, such as seizure disorders and palliative care.

West told Kruser that his bill has not been filed yet because the Senate no longer allows senators to pre-file bills. He said as a starting point, he will be filing the same bill he filed in 2021 with the expectation that it will be changed during the legislative process.

53% in statewide poll say the pandemic is over for them; 1/3 are unvaccinated; 1/3 of those say they could be moved to get a shot

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Even as the share of Kentuckians testing positive for the coronavirus continues to rise, about a third of the state's adults believe the pandemic is over, and more than half believe it is over as it pertains to their own lives, according to a Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky poll taken June 4 through July 13.

What this means is that Kentuckians are back to living their normal everyday lives, despite the ongoing pandemic, foundation president and CEO Ben Chandler said at a news conference Tuesday. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maps; click to enlarge.

"We have to remember to stay vigilant against the virus," Chandler said. "Research shows the best way to avoid severe illness and death is to stay up to date with vaccines and boosters. Other ways to keep on guard include staying home if you feel sick, and testing, wearing a mask in a big crowd and getting healthier by doing things like eating nutritious foods." 

One dose provides very little protection, experts say.

The poll found that 65.4% of Kentucky adults said they believed the pandemic was not yet over in Kentucky, 31.7 % said it was over and 3% said they didn't know. But when asked if the pandemic was over as it pertains to their own lives, 53.3% said it was, 44.7% said it was not, and 2% said they didn't know. 

In both cases, the share who said the pandemic was over was higher among men and younger age groups.

The pandemic is clearly not over. The state's latest weekly report showed a 6.8% increase in coronavirus cases last week, with 2,236 new cases per day. The positive-test rate, which does not include home tests, rose to 18.41%; hospitalizations increased; and 67 more deaths were attributed to the virus, the largest weekly total since 79 were reported in mid-May. Kentucky has the second highest infection rate in the nation, according to The New York Times. 

Good news and bad news

Chandler said the good news from this poll is that when unvaccinated Kentucky adults were asked if they would get a vaccination, about one-third of them appeared open to the possibility. 

Opinions of the unvaccinated; click on graph to enlarge it.

The bad news is that poll found that the number of unvaccinated Kentuckians who say they "definitely will not" get vaccinated is going up. The poll found that 63.5% of the unvaxed said they definitely will not, compared to 46.6% in August 2021 and 19% in February 2021. 

On the other hand, the poll found that 2.1% said they would get a shot as soon as possible; 18.7% said they were waiting to see how the vaccines worked for other people; and 15.6% said they would only get a shot if it was required for school, work or other activities. 

"We think these responses are encouraging," said Chandler. "This shows there are still movable people and we should continue educational efforts to increase confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and boosters." The reportedly persuadable unvaccinated are about 12% of the state population.

Chandler said focus groups, small-group discussions about current topics, have found Kentuckians want to discuss vaccination with their doctors and it's not too late to have those conversations. 

"We've been able to drill down on this point with some of our recent focus groups, and feel there's an opportunity to educate people about the risks from getting Covid-19, including severe illness and 'long Covid' symptoms, compared to the risks of side effects and benefits of the Covid-19 vaccines and boosters," he said. 

According to the state Department for Public Health, 34% of Kentuckians have not received a Covid-19 vaccine. That amounts to 1.5 million. If 36% of this unvaccinated group are still open to getting a shot, as Chandler suggests, that means about 550,000 Kentuckians could still be convinced to get it.

The poll found an increase in those who believe getting a Covid-19 vaccine is a personal choice and fewer saw it as a "part of everyone's responsibility to protect the health of the community." In February 2021, Kentuckians were split nearly equally on this issue, but the most recent poll shows 62.7%, believe it is a personal choice.

Confidence in the vaccines is dropping

The poll also found that among the unvaccinated, confidence in the vaccines' efficacy has lessened since the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants and subvariants, with 76.4% of unvaccinated Kentucky adults doubting effectiveness of the vaccines, up from 65.7% in August 2021. 

Opinions of the unvaccinated; click on graph to enlarge it.

The most recent poll found that of the 76.4% of unvaccinated adults who doubted effectiveness of the vaccines, 45.6% said the vaccines are "not effective at all," 30.8% said they are "a little effective," 20.7% said they are moderately effective, 2.1% said they are very effective ad 0.8% said they didn't know.  

In August 2021, 43.8% of this group said the vaccines were "not effective at all" and 21.9% said they were only "a little effective." 

The poll also found real concern among Kentucky adults about the effectiveness of the vaccines and boosters against future strains of the coronavirus. Among the unvaccinated, 52.4% said a vaccine would not be "effective at all" against new strains, marginally higher than in August 2021. 

Among fully vaccinated adults, 75.7% said they felt booster shots would be "moderately effective" or "very effective" in protecting them, but only 63.8% said the booster shots would have the same levels of protection against new strains of the virus.

Chandler said this lack of confidence in the vaccines, especially when it comes to protecting against new variants, is one reason that it is hard to get unvaccinated Kentuckians vaccinated.

He said the foundation will use these insights to inform vaccine outreach and educational efforts. "We hope the information encourages health-care workers to continue talking with patients about the vaccine and boosters discussing those risks and benefits and dispelling misinformation," he said.  

The poll, which was funded by the foundation, was conducted by the University of Cincinnati Institute for Policy Research. It surveyed a random sample of 814 Kentucky adults via landline and cell phones and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. 

Post-Roe, rural women would face more obstacles; retired health director says the issue is about men, women, sex and control

"Trigger laws" would make abortion in Kentucky and 12 other states illegal in almost all cases if Roe v. Wade is overturned. That would disproportionately affect rural women, who are more likely than their urban peers to be impoverished, less likely to have the time or money to drive long distances across state lines to obtain an abortion, and more likely to face stigma over the decision to end a pregnancy.

Abortion isn't often publicly discussed in rural areas, but it is widely felt, as indicated by a recent note to University of Kentucky journalism professor Al Cross, editor and publisher of Kentucky Health News, by Bertie Salyer, retired health director in Magoffin County:

Bertie Salyer

“As a former social worker, social work supervisor, college professor, and health department director, I feel very distraught. Old white Republican men telling all females of childbearing age that they better not have sex unless they can see themselves nine months away successfully having and supporting a family of at least two. Punish the woman, don’t allow her to have sex education in school, don’t give her birth control, don’t give her health care, don’t give her support or any services while pregnant and after birth; just tell her to only have sex for procreation because SHE alone is responsible. Her body must bear the consequences, the lifetime consequences of that weak moment, that rape, that incestuous attack, that failure to think ahead in what could have been a moment of passion. She suffers the societal impact, the disruption of her life through what could have been a lapse in judgement, a mistake, crime victimization. HE can sexually enjoy the moment and move on without a thought. What is fair, equal, and just about that? And don’t allow me the space to discuss the possible outcomes for the child, and the additional social problems for our society.”

Many who oppose abortion rights are just as passionate, saying that all life is sacred and that it begins at conception. Though the topic has been a divisive political football for decades, public sentiment hasn't changed much in the nearly 50 years since the Roe v. Wade decision. "According to Gallup, 21 percent of Americans thought abortion should be illegal in all circumstances in 1975, compared with 19 percent in 2021," Michael Scherer reports for The Washington Post. But in the 13 states with trigger laws, current sentiment is decidedly different: "43 percent of adults on average say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 52 percent say it should be illegal in most or all cases," Nate Cohn reports for The New York Times.

A 2014 poll in Kentucky by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that 57% of Kentucky adults thought abortion should be illegal in all or most all cases, while 36% said it should be legal in all or almost all cases. More than 90% of abortions are performed in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Most in nationwide poll say they have contracted the coronavirus, but concern about serious Covid-19 illness in their family declines

Most Americans say they have contracted the coronavirus, and the infected are more likely to be Republicans, says a new poll by Monmouth University in New Jersey. "This appears to be the first poll to show a majority of Americans saying they’ve been infected at some point," reports Aaron Blake of The Washington Post. "Other polls from recent months have shown a sharp uptick in those who report testing positive — particularly during the rise of the omicron variant — but Monmouth’s poll brings in those who believe they’ve contracted the virus but lack a diagnosis."

In the March 10-14 telephone survey, 52 percent of respondents said they had contracted the virus, up from 40% in late January, and 57% percent of Republicans said they had been infected, but only 38% of Democrats said they had. In January, the numbers were 50% and 28%. "This tracks with polls that more narrowly surveyed self-reported positive tests. It also suggests the gap has grown since the pandemic began," Blake notes.

Blake casts a skeptical eye: "Is the gap really this big? Polls asking people to self-report things like an infection are prone to response bias. Democrats might be less willing to acknowledge falling ill: Given the emphasis on mitigation on their side of the political aisle, they might view infection as some kind of moral failing. Republicans, by contrast, have long been more likely to argue that mitigation efforts have gone overboard and the virus is overblown. What better way to prove that than to say you personally contracted the virus and lived to tell the tale?

"But if that were a major factor, you might expect the gap between Republicans and Democrats to be greater when it comes to one specific self-reported measure: non-diagnosed cases. This would seem a prime opportunity for Republicans to say they believe they’ve had the virus even if they might not have, and for Democrats to downplay their infection status. On both sides, though, about 1 in 5 who say they’ve had the virus lacked a diagnosis.

"Notably, this gap in self-reporting didn’t always exist. Early in the pandemic, the percentage of Republicans and Democrats reporting positive tests was roughly equal — and for much of 2021, the gaps weren’t nearly as wide as they are now. Of course, this difference may be inflated by self-reporting. But the fact that even that self-reporting gap has grown is important. And it provides even more evidence that, as the pandemic has progressed, the virus has hit Republicans harder."

Despite the greater prevalence of infection, "The number of people who are very concerned about a family member becoming seriously ill from the virus (23%) has dropped to its lowest point since last June (also 23%)," Monmouth reports. "This marks a 15-point decrease over the past two months." The biggest drop was among Democrats: 30% in March, compared with 61% in January,

'Unplug' from sources of misinformation, and treat unvaccinated with dignity and respect, Ky. health chief tells rural health leaders

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

If you're trying to persuade someone to get a Covid-19 vaccine, it's important to come from a place of "mutual regard and respect," state Health Commissioner Steven Stack told members of the Kentucky Rural Health Association at its annual conference Monday.

Misinformation is a big obstacle to vaccination, and Stack told the online meeting that the most important thing we can do to stop the spread of misinformation is to "unplug" from social media and make sure you are getting your information from a credible news source, and not an entertainer. 

Commissioner Steven Stack, M.D.

Stack, a physician, stressed that it doesn't matter whether a person lives in rural Appalachia or in urban Jefferson County, people don't like to have their community values and believes treated with disregard. An added challenge, he said, is that getting more Kentuckians vaccinated requires more than  presenting "just the science."

"If we don't find a way to meet folks in a place where they feel respected and treated with dignity and regard, it just feels like someone from a distance is lecturing to them and telling them what they must do -- and that doesn't work," he said. 

Further, he said the messenger needs to come from a trusted source in the community, and delivering the message may involve a two-step process: first, a safe space to normalize the vaccine and answer questions about it, followed by opportunities to get it.

Stack also said it's important to remember that people have many reasons for not getting vaccinated that go beyond their personal beliefs and ideology, including a lack of transportation, poor health literacy, or misinformation. 

"Misinformation literally is a killer," he said. "What people see on Facebook and TikTok and Instagram and Twitter, that stuff literally has killed people, because there's all these falsehoods that have been spread."

He said we must all have empathy for any young woman of childbearing years who chooses not to get a vaccine because of the misinformation she's being fed that it could cause infertility, "when there is no evidence that that's the case whatsoever." 

"We've got to find a way to overcome that," he said. 

It's easy to get locked into an echo chamber and to hear only what a person likes to hear, Stack said, recommending that everyone needs to "unplug" from social media more often and to treat all of it as "a treat" instead of a staple. He also encouraged people to be more selective about where they get their news. 

"And by the grace of God, none of us should be watching anything on cable television that purports to be news that is really entertainment," he said. 

The latest Kaiser Family Foundation Covid-19 Vaccine Monitor poll that looked at media and misinformation found that belief in pandemic-related misinformation is widespread, with 78% of adults saying they have heard at least one of eight different false statements about Covid-19 and that they believe it to be true or are unsure if it is true or false. One-third (32%) of all adults believe or are uncertain about at least four false statements. 

The eight common falsehoods asked about in the poll included: the government is exaggerating the number of Covid-19 deaths; pregnant women should not get a vaccine; deaths due to vaccines are being intentionally hidden by the government; the vaccines have been shown to cause infertility; Ivermectin is a safe and effective treatment for Covid-19; you can get Covid-19 from a vaccine; the vaccines contain a microchip; and they can change your DNA. All those statements are false.

A Kaiser news release said, "Belief in Covid-19 misinformation is correlated with both vaccination status and partisanship, with unvaccinated adults and Republicans much more likely to believe or be unsure about false statements compared to vaccinated adults and Democrats."

Kaiser Family Foundation graph; click on it to enlarge.

The poll, taken Oct. 14-24, also found that a person's trusted news source correlated with their belief in Covid-19 misinformation.

The survey found that respondents were less likely to believe any of the eight pieces of misinformation if they said their trusted news source for Covid-19 information was CNN, MSNBC, network news, NPR or local TV news.

The poll found that misinformation was more likely to be believed by those who said their trusted Covid-19 information came from conservative news sources, "with nearly four in 10 of those who trust Fox News (36%) and One America News (37%) and nearly half (46%) of those who trust Newsmax for such information saying they have heard at least four of the falsehoods tested in the survey and either believe them to be true or are unsure if they’re true or false."

That finding doesn't prove that those sources convey misinformation, because it could also be that the types of people who choose those sources are likely to believe certain types of misinformation, the release said. 

Stack told the rural health conferees that overall pandemic trends in Kentucky are heading "in the right direction," but expressed concern that cold weather and an increase in indoor social events during the holiday season could lead to another rise in cases, especially in rural areas with low vaccination rates.

"It raises the real concern that we could have yet another escalation. . . . Folks clearly are not in the same level of compliance with mask use and physical distancing that we were last year, and that will all be a recipe for an increase," he said.

Most of Kentucky's 120 counties have less than one-half of their populations vaccinated with at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Dept. for Public Health map, adapted by Ky. Health News; click on it to enlarge. Interactive at
https://dashboard.chfs.ky.gov/views/KYPublicFacingDashboard_16191000580170/KentuckyCOVID-19Vaccination

Just 20% of Ky. adults say a health-care provider has contacted them about a Covid-19 shot; only 14% say their health insurer has

By Al Cross and Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Only one in five Kentuckians say they have been contacted by a health professional about getting a Covid-19 vaccine, and just one in seven say have been contacted for that reason by their health-insurance provider, according to a statewide poll taken Aug. 4 through Sept. 4.

Twenty percent of adults said a doctor, nurse or other health professional had contacted them about vaccination, and only 14% said their health-insurance provider had, the poll for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky discovered.

Foundation President and CEO Ben Chandler announced the poll results during the foundation's annual Howard L. Bost Memorial Health Policy Forum. He said the results for health-care professionals were "a little bit surprising" and those for health-insurance providers were "a real shocker." 

"What this tells us, I think, is that we have a lot of work to do," Chandler said. "Would doctors and health insurance providers reaching out have made a difference in where we are today? Well, I don't know the answer to that. But I do think . . . it's certainly worth a try in the future to think about seeing if we could figure out a way to get doctors and to get insurance companies to reach out more effectively and, and in a systematic way to the people who have not gotten vaccinated." 

The poll also found that Kentucky adults said they would take recommendations on vaccines from their health-care providers, but for reasons unknown the providers have not reached out to them much, Chandler said.

The poll asked Kentucky adults if they agreed with this statement: "Generally, I do what my doctor or health-care provider recommends about vaccines for me." Sixty percent strongly agreed, 22% agreed somewhat, 1% leaned toward agreeing, 9% disagreed somewhat, 6% strongly disagreed and 2% said they didn't know. The older and better educated the respondent, the more likely they were to agree.

The poll, which had an error margin of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points, found that 27% of adults who had not taken a Covid-19 vaccine said they strongly agreed that they would take their vaccine recommendations from their doctor. Chandler said that suggests that one-third of Kentuckians might be persuaded by their doctor or other health-care provider to get a Covid-19 shot. Just over half have received one dose of a vaccine so far.

"We may be able to figure out a way to create a system where this could happen," Chandler said. "I think we could maybe make up some ground if we did that."

Cory Meadows of the Kentucky Medical Association, the lobby for physicians, was asked during a forum panel discussion about vaccine messaging why more providers aren't reaching out to their patients. He said it could be due partly to their a heavier-than-usual workload after pandemic slowdowns last year.

"I do think there's a practical side to it," Meadows said. "Given the workload and the patient load that they have . . . the real side of it right now is catching up on a lot of stuff. But I do think that many of them are starting to have those conversations, especially during this Delta surge."

Dr. Brent Wright of Glasgow while moderating a panel on the first day of the forum said it's difficult to have 15-minute conversations to explain vaccines and when you are running 30 minutes behind already.

Meadows acknowledged that some health-care providers may be reluctant to bring up the controversial topic of Covid-19 vaccination for fear of losing patients, but said that while they may be careful to soften their tone, he did not think that was a significant factor. 

"There may be a certain element to that," he said. "I think physicians try to be sensitive to patients' concerns. However, I think given the severity of this virus, especially with the Delta surge, I don't sense, at least in my conversations with physicians, that that's holding a lot of them back. . . . I think given the severity of the situation, that barrier is not there, maybe it would be in normal times so as not to offend their patient."

The poll found little statistical difference among various groups of Kentuckians, but the results suggested differences among educational levels. College graduates appeared least likely to say they had been contacted by a health professional, but appeared most likely to be contacted by their health insurer.

Conversely, those with a high-school diploma or less education seemed most likely to say they had been contacted by a health professional, and among the least likely to say they had been contacted by their health insurer. 

More than a third of Kentuckians get free health care through Medicaid, a federal-state program for the low-income and disabled. State government uses insurance-company subsidiaries to manage relations with Medicaid beneficiaries, who have a low vaccination rate.

Any possibility that the beneficiaries may not think of managed-care firms as a "health-insurance provider," the wording used in the poll question, did not arise when the poll was field-tested before it was conducted, pollster Eric Rademacher of the University of Cincinnati told Kentucky Health News.

The Kentucky Association of Health Plans, the lobby for insurance companies in the state, said it had engaged in "unprecedented outreach campaigns" with community partners, using "calls, texts, emails, letters, social media, events, giveaways, and promotions to encourage commercial and Medicaid plan members to receive the Covid-19 vaccine."

KAHP's latest gambit is a sweepstakes for Medicaid beneficiaries, with 20 Disney World trips as the prizes. At least some All managed-care organizations are offering Medicaid beneficiaries cash bonuses for getting vaccinated, KAHP spokesman Tyler Glick said.

McConnell using his campaign funds to run pro-vaccine ads

McConnell (Reuters photo by Joshua Roberts)

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell will use funds from his campaign to run 60-second advertisements on more than 100 radio stations in Kentucky to promote vaccination for the coronavirus, Reuters reports.

McConnell, the leader of Senate Republicans, has blamed misinformation for the low rate of vaccination among Americans, "which are fueling a rise in coronavirus cases, particularly in Republican-dominated states," Reuters notes.

"There is bad advice out there," he told Reuters. "Apparently you see that all over the place: people practicing medicine without a license, giving bad advice. And that bad advice should be ignored."

In Kentucky, the daily average of vaccinations is 28 percent higher in the last seven days than the previous seven, but remains below the level seen at the start of the month, and that was lower than June. Just under 52% of Kentuckians have received at least one dose of vaccine; the U.S. figure is 57%.

"Not enough people are vaccinated," McConnell said. "So we're trying to get them to reconsider and get back on the path to get us to some level of herd immunity."

In the radio ad, McConnell notes that he is a survivor of polio and says the Covid-19 vaccine is "nothing short of a modern medical miracle" and says, "Every American should take advantage of this miracle and get vaccinated. It's the only way we're going to defeat Covid."

Christina Wilkie of CNBC writes, "It is highly unusual for members of Congress to use campaign funds for anything outside of their re-election efforts. But McConnell’s decision reflects the looming crisis posed by Delta-variant Covid infections in states with low vaccination levels."

McConnell, 79, is widely expected not to seek re-election in 2026, and has $7 million in his campaign treasury. He has promoted vaccinations since he got one in December, but has passed up chances to criticize other Republicans who have refused to say whether they've been vaccinated and "attacked the shots as unnecessary or dangerous," as Reuters puts it.

But in the Reuters interview, McConnell endorsed recent remarks by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who told reporters last week that it is "time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks" for the surge in cases, as well as criticizing people spreading misinformation about the vaccines.

McConnell, a native of Alabama, told Reuters, "I was encouraged by what the governor of Alabama said."

Ivey wrote in The Washington Post that those "pushing fake news and conspiracy theories about this vaccine are reckless and causing great harm," adding that many of the unvaccinated are "being lied to."

Reporter David Morgan of Reuters notes, "About 40% of Republicans are uncertain about the vaccine or are unwilling to be vaccinated, polling data published by the Morning Consult showed. That is more than double the 16% of Democrats who voiced those concerns."

Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster advising the Biden administration on vaccine persuasion, said he has been warning for months about politics being an obstacle to vaccination.

"The key here is to ensure that no one feels like they have to do it," Luntz told Morgan. "They have to want to do it. So, insulting them or mandating them won't work. Political messages won't work, unless you're Donald Trump. If Trump were to say to them: 'Hey, get the vaccine.' That would make a difference. But he doesn't do that. All he does is complain about the election."

Last week, Trump said, "People are refusing to take the vaccine because they don't trust (Biden's) administration, they don't trust the election results."

Where in Ky. is vaccine resistance highest? New interactive tools can help communities target education and outreach efforts

Adapted screenshot of University of Washington interactive map (click here); click map to enlarge it. 

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

It's easy to find your locality's coronavirus vaccination rate, but what about its vaccine hesitancy rate, or local interest in vaccination? Two new interactive tools reveal those numbers.

One uses data gathered by polling done through Facebook; the other shows the relative interest in vaccination shown by online searches. 

The Facebook-gathered data are in interactive maps from the University of Washington, showing what counties (and even what Zip codes) are most hesitant to get a shot.

The maps by the university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation reflect answers to this question: "If a vaccine to prevent Covid-19 were offered to you today, would you choose to get vaccinated?" The answers are "Definitely," "Probably," "Probably not" and "Definitely not." People giving one of the last three answers are considered vaccine-hesitant.

The maps do not break down the data by individual answers, but are interactive, and can be switched to show the percentage of people saying "Probably" and "Probably not." That allows simple subtraction to produce the "Definitely not" figure for each area. 

Another tool, called Google Covid-19 Vaccination Search Insights, uses aggregated, anonymized data from Google searches about vaccination. The weekly data is available by region and by county. 

The trends reflect relative interest, broken down three ways: overall interest, vaccination intent, and safety and side effects. Click here to learn more about how the researchers process the data. 

Another tool to help communities get their people vaccinated is the Vaccine Equity Planner, designed by Ariadne Labs and Boston Children's Hospital,  to identify "vaccine desserts" where people have little or no convenient access to the Covid-19 vaccination. 

How can these tools help? 

With barely half of Kentucky's population having received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 61% of its adults having done so, the state still has work to do to reach the 70% level, the amount generally thought necessary to create herd immunity. 

Among Kentucky's 120 counties, 31 have one-third or fewer of their residents vaccinated, and only have reached a solid 50%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Tracker. The  bottom five counties are Spencer (22.6%), Christian (25.4%), Jackson (26.1%), Ballard (26.2%) and Lewis (26.2 %). 

As Kentucky health officials work to get the other half of the state vaccinated, the information gleaned in these Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy tools can provide them with information to help design and evaluate public education campaigns and outreach efforts targeted specifically to people in their communities.

Resistance falls in some places, rises in others

The Facebook survey shows that in Spencer County, which has usually raked last in Covid-19 vaccinations, 9.13% of survey respondents in January said they would definitely not get the vaccine if it was offered. The week ending July 1, that number had dropped only slightly, to 8.51%.  

(That number was calculated by subtracting the total for the somewhat-hesitant category, those who answered "Yes, probably" and "No, probably not," from the "All" category, which includes those who answered "Yes, probably," "No, probably not," and "No, definitely not.")

In the same six-month period, among the other four counties with the lowest vaccination rates, Christian County showed the greatest decrease in those who said they would definitely not get vaccinated. The figure moved from 28% in January to 12% in July. Ballard County also saw a drop, from 22.49% to 17.56%.

But on the other side of the state, in Appalachia, heavily rural Jackson and Lewis counties saw increases in the share of respondents who said they would definitely not get a vaccine. Jackson County's vaccine resistance increased from 20.9% to 24.1%, and Lewis County's rose from 21.5% to 39.6%. 

To get a broader geographic sample, Kentucky Health News checked two counties in Southern Kentucky that are part of official Appalachia but fully outside the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field.

Metcalfe County showed a huge increase in vaccine hesitancy, with the percentage of respondents who said they would definitely not get a vaccine increasing from 13% in January to 33% by July 1. 

But the next county to the east, Adair, showed a decrease in vaccine resistance, moving from 23.3% in January to 17.5% in July.

The survey found that fewer people said they were resistant to getting shot in Laurel and Clay counties too. In Laurel, that number dropped from 27.16% who said they would definitely not get a shot during the first week of January to 23.85%. In Clay, that number dropped from 23.21% to 16.42%. 

Google Covid-19 Vaccination Search Insights

The Google Covid-19 Vaccination Search Insights tool showed that Kentucky's internet searches related to the eligibility, availability and accessibility of Covid-19 vaccines were among the nation's highest in the week ending July 4. 

This surge in searches for intent to get vaccinated was likely driven by the distribution of the first lottery-style incentive for Kentuckians who had received at least one dose of a vaccine and signed up for it. The next million-dollar prize and five post-secondary scholarships will be held July 29, with the announcements made the next day. Go to shotatamillion.ky.gov for more information. 

Google graph shows searches in Spencer County June 21-28.

The Google tool also has trends for each county. For example, searches showing interest and intent to get vaccinated increased in Spencer County between June 21 and June 28. 

In the same week, Laurel County also saw a jump in general Covid-19 vaccination searches and an even bigger jump in searches for intent to get vaccinated. Searches for safety and side effects from the vaccine declined.

Adair County saw a dip in its general vaccine-information searches, but saw an increase in searches for intent to get vaccinated. 

The interactive map shows that in the week ending July 4, searches for intent to get vaccinated were highest in McLean, Marion, Washington, Boyle, Woodford, Montgomery, Nicholas and Bracken counties.

The trend-graphics for the state also show the highest and lowest Google searches for each of the three categories in each Kentucky county. For example, on June 28, searches for intent to get vaccinated were highest in Nicholas County and lowest in Christian County.

Here's a screenshot of the state's vaccination tracker map:

State Dept. for Public Health map, adapted by Ky. Health News; interactive version is here.

Coronavirus cases and positivity rates are trending down, but Beshear says risk remains high, especially with new variant in Ky.

Kentucky Department for Public Health graphic; URL leads to list of testing sites

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

While numbers of new coronavirus cases and percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus continue to trend down, Gov. Andy Beshear cautioned Wednesday that the numbers are still too high for comfort and that the risk of spread remains high, especially with a more contagious variant present.

"This is still a dangerous time in America," Beshear said at a news conference. "Virus levels are still at some of the highest that they have been since the beginning of the pandemic and with some new variants . . . The risks of spread and of harm to you or your family are still at some of the highest that they've ever been."

Beshear reported 2,424 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the state's seven-day rolling average to 2,672, the lowest since Jan. 2. Today's new-case number is also the lowest Wednesday since Jan. 6, when the state reported what remains the single-day record high of 5,742 cases. 

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus continues to decline. Today, it was 9.35%, which is down to the levels of late December. 

Health Commissioner Steven Stack said the state's two cases of the United Kingdom variant of the coronavirus, which were initially reported yesterday, were found in Kenton County. 

Beshear said the two individuals are "doing OK" and are not hospitalized. He did not answer whether the two were connected or had traveled outside the country. And because of the variant's high contagion, he said it has likely that it has already spread beyond these two individuals.  

The Northern Kentucky Health Department said in a news release that the variant has been detected in 293 cases in 24 states. 

Stack cautioned that the variant is more contagious, meaning it spreads more easily and you are more likely to get infected by it.  

"It's not more dangerous for the person who gets it than the previous version of the virus," Stack said, "but since more people can get it more quickly and more easily, that means you could have more people get sick or more people could die."

Thus, he said, it's even more important for people to wear masks, to stay six feet from each other, to keep hands washed, to get tested if you think you've been exposed, and to stay home if you are sick. Experts have predicted that the variant is so contagious that it will be the dominant strain by March.

Beshear said, "I'm convinced that one of the reasons we are seeing trends going the right way is that every single one of you across Kentucky is doing more, and is doing better even if you were doing it right every other day. More people wear a mask, more people trying to follow the rules. Let's be the most vigilant we've ever been knowing that victory is around the corner, we've got to protect one another until then."

Schools: Beshear said the state should finish vaccinating K-12 personnel by the end of next week. "We are going to be the fastest state to get there to have the very safest schools," he said, while acknowledging that about a fourth of school personnel didn't express a willingness to be vaccinated. 

Asked if his thinking about getting Kentucky kids back to school was affected by the view expressed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers that there is little spread of the the virus in schools with strong mitigation measures, Beshear said the full report also comes with recommendations like closing bars and restaurants, and calls for getting teachers vaccinated.

"Remember, we don't have any order that prevents in-person learning at the moment, we do have guidance," he said. "We're gonna be able to loosen that significantly once everybody is through" getting vaccinated, he said. "We do have an order out there, though, that does require a virtual learning option for students and accommodations for teachers, some of those accommodations are going to be able to be loosened or removed once we have folks that have been offered the vaccine." 

Vaccines: Beshear said the federal government's 15.7% increase in weekly doses will bring the state's total up to about 65,000 initial doses next week, from about 56,000, but he continued to lament the short supply, saying that the state could vaccinate 250,000 people a week if it had that many doses. 

He said the state is in the process of receiving 12,675 extra doses from CVS Health and Walgreens, which were not used in their vaccination program for long-term care facilities, under a federal contract. 

Beshear said he was talking to the Biden administration about getting one of the Federal Emergency Management Agency vaccination centers that is in the works, and he would be receptive to being one of the states that gets vaccines sent to independent pharmacies, but that would depend on whether such a program comes with its own vaccine supply. 

"We want all of these programs, but it's all about the supply, and the Biden administration agrees," he said. "If we can get a huge influx, then absolutely." 

Looking forward, Beshear said it will be important for independent pharmacies and local health departments to help the state reach out to hard-to-reach individuals. 

He said 1,500 providers have signed up to administer vaccines, but for now, doses must be distributed regionally, because the Pfizer Inc. vaccine can’t be shipped in units of less than 975, and even with 100-unit Moderna shipments, sending one to tiny Robertson County would call for sending Jefferson County 36,000.

"To make sure rural Kentucky gets as much as urban Kentucky, adjusted by population, requires a regional approach," he said.

Asked if being a smoker would put a person into Phase 1c to get the vaccine, as suggested on the CDC website, Beshear said that while conditions that are exacerbated or caused by smoking are on Kentucky's list, "You can't smoke your way into 1C."

Stack said the state will work on getting the remaining people who are 70 and older vaccinated in February, He said 90,000 of this group have already been vaccinated, leaving 400,000 more.

Stack said the two available vaccines are effective against new variants of the virus. He said when he is asked which one a person should take, he says, "The one you can get." 

Deaths: Beshear announced 47 more Covid-19 deaths, 41 confirmed and six probable, bringing the state's death toll to 3,542. The 14-day death average hit a new high, 39.4. The seven-day average is 42.7, just under the record of 43 that was set yesterday.

Ernest Bates

Beshear honored the life of Ernest A. Bates of McLean County, who was a HVAC inspector with the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction for over 13 years, having been in that business for over 48 years. He died at age 76 from Covid-19. 

Beshear said Bates is survived by his wife of 28 years, Nancy, his son, Alan, (an HVAC inspector), his stepdaughters Robin and Toni, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. 

"Today we lift up his family in prayer and we give thanks to the many years of service he gave to the commonwealth," said Beshear. "To Ernest's family, we are so sorry for your loss." 

In other coronavirus news Wednesday: 

• Today's fatalities were a Barren County man, 87; a Campbell County woman, 84; a Christian County woman, 67, and man, 78; four Daviess County women, 86, 86, 87 and 99; a Daviess County man, 83; a Fayette County man, 84; a Fleming County woman, 79, and a man, 96; a Graves County man,73; a Green County woman, 77; a Harlan County woman, 89, and man,73; a Harrison County woman, 90; two Hart County women, 73, and 77; a Hart County man, 71; a Henderson County man,77; a Hopkins County man, 76; three Jefferson County women, 56, 69 and 72; five Jefferson County men, 57, 68, 69, 73 and 81; two Kenton County men, 66 and 91; four Menifee County women, 64, 75, 80 and 87; two Menifee County men, 75 and 90; an Ohio County woman, 81; a Rowan County man, 80; a Todd County man, 77; three Warren County women, 46, 70 and 95; a Warren County man, 39; a Wayne County man, 75; and a Webster County man, 69.
• Counties with 10 or more new cases were Jefferson, 330; Fayette, 180; Daviess, 102; Kenton, 88; Boone, 82; Warren, 76; Pike, 70;  Madison, 67; Pulaski, 62; Hardin, 56; Bullitt and Laurel, 45; Jessamine, 44; Calloway, 38; Campbell, 37; Christian, 36; Nelson, 35; Barren, 34; Oldham, 32; Whitley, 31; Floyd, McCracken and Scott, 26; Anderson, Graves, Greenup and Knox, 24; Shelby, 23; Henderson, Mercer and Montgomery, 22; Taylor, 21; Clark, 20; Boyd, 19; Meade and Russell, 18; Perry, 17; Menifee, 16; Carter and McCreary, 15; Allen and Ohio, 14; Casey and Marion, 13; Fleming, Hart, Marshall and Woodford, 12; Grant, Harlan, Larue and Muhlenberg, 11; Bell, Bourbon, Clay, Edmonson, Hopkins, Metcalfe, Rowan, Spencer, Union and Washington, 10.
• The K-12 school dashboard shows that so far this week, 703 students and 228 staff have tested positive, and 3,680 students and 481 staff are in quarantine; 414 schools had not reported. 
• In long-term care, 28 more residents and 14 more staff have tested positive, bringing the total number of active cases to 708 residents and 380 staff. Beshear attributed 24 more deaths in these facilities to Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths in long-term care to 2,154.
• Intensive-care beds are more than 80% full in three of the hospital readiness regions: Barren River, 82.41%; the easternmost region, 91.18%; and Lake Cumberland, 95.56%. Northern Kentucky is at 81.53% of overall hospital capacity. 
• Kentucky hospitals have 1,597 Covid-19 patients (up 31 from yesterday); 387 in intensive care (up four); and 225 of those on a ventilator (down three). 
• On Jan. 20, Beshear sent a two-page letter, obtained Tuesday by the Lexington Herald-Leader through an open-records request, to Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne offering suggestions to "create a reasonable framework around which to have a conversation" about the legislation he vetoed that limits his authority, Jack Brammer reports for the Herald-Leader. The letter was in response to Stivers' comments to the Louisville Courier Journal that the legislature's decision to override the vetoes could depend on the governor's willingness to talk to them, Beshear said his "strong preference is for any legislation to wait until Kentucky has emerged from this deadly pandemic," Brammer reports.
• Beshear also said, “To ‘mess’ with emergency powers that have helped us achieve this relative success would be like legislating troop movements and tactics in the middle of a battle. The inevitable result is less success and more casualties.” If the legislature is determined to pass legislation, he said, “then I recommend we discuss narrowly tailoring” it to address lawmakers’ concerns.
• The pandemic has left thousands of Kentuckians in need of both financial help and other types of assistance. Sarah Ladd of the Courier Journal compiled a list of many of the assistance funds and programs available for Kentuckian.
• Louisville's WDRB tells the story of a Spencer County man, Jerry Harden, who has diabetes and was diagnosed with Covid-19 in December and was given bamlanivimab monoclonal anitbody infusion and quickly recovered. Doctors told WDRB that it is important that this treatment be given early in the illness and encouraged Kentuckians who test positive for the virus to ask their provider if they are eligible for it. 
• Eli Lilly & Co., which makes bamlanivimab, released a large, late-stage study Tuesday that found bamlanivimab combined with another monoclonal antibody, etesevimab, was found to be "extremely effective in high-risk patients diagnosed with Covid-19," Karen Weintraub reports for USA Today. "Among patients who received a placebo, 10% of those at high risk ended up in the hospital, compared with just 2% of those who received the drug cocktail – a 70% drop. Patients were diagnosed an average of four days before treatment," she writes. It's important to know that to get the benefit from these drugs, they must be given in the early stages of the disease. "Once hospitalized with Covid-19, the drug does nothing to help," a Lilly study has shown, Weintraub reports. 
• For more information about bamlanivimab in the U.S., Lilly has set up a 24-hour support line at 1-855-545-5921. Patients and physicians can also visit covid.infusioncenter.org or the HHS Therapeutic Distribution locator to find a potential treatment location.
• An Axios/Ipsos poll of 1,112 adults conducted Jan. 22-25 found trust in the federal government to provide accurate information on Covid-19 at 50%, willingness to get the coronavirus vaccine immediately at 49%, and improvement in mental health in the last week (14%) have all increased since Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration. It also found that a small subset, 18%, of Americans is driving the most risky behavior -- with fewer than half of this group, 44%, saying they wear a mask all of the time and only one-third of them concerned about the pandemic. Here's a graphic: