CDC: Outbreak of more contagious virus strain in nursing home began with unvaccinated employee; vaccines can prevent such

In state health department video, nursing-home staff say why they got a shot.

This story has been updated with comments from state officials.

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Coronavirus vaccines protect residents and staff in skilled nursing facilities against more contagious variants of the virus, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of an outbreak of a more contagious variant in a Kentucky nursing home.

The study reported that the first case identified was in a health-care worker at the facility who had symptoms of Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, but had not been vaccinated. Only 53 percent of the health-care workers at the facility had been vaccinated, the study said, while 90% of the residents had.

The outbreak and the study provided a test of vaccines against the more contagious variant, which had not been identified until the outbreak.

The study found that the vaccine was 87% protective against Covid-19 symptoms in both residents and staff. It also found that the risk of infection among unvaccinated residents and staff, respectively, was 3 and 4.1 times greater than the risk among the vaccinated.

For prevention of infection by the virus, the vaccine was 66% effective among residents and 76% effective among staff. It was 94.4% effective against hospitalizations and deaths for residents. "Vaccinated persons were significantly less likely to experience symptoms or require hospitalization," the study says.

In the outbreak in early March, "Three residents died, two of whom were unvaccinated," the study report says. Four possible reinfections were identified," in a resident and three workers, one of whom was vaccinated. All four had Covid-19 symptoms. One resident, who had been infected last May and had nine consecutive negative tests before reinfection, including two within 30 days of the outbreak, "was hospitalized and died," the study says.

Life Care Center of Morehead (Company photo)

When the outbreak was first reported, the Kentucky Department for Public Health only identified the facility as being in Eastern Kentucky, but by all indications, including day-to-day, facility-specific data published by the department, it occurred at the Life Care Center of Morehead.

Bill Hurst, the facility's executive director, referred questions to the department, which again refused to identify the nursing home. Department spokeswoman Susan Dunlap said in an e-mail, "As a general operating principle throughout this pandemic, we have tried to respect the privacy of individual persons and facilities."

Health Commissioner Steven Stack said as he discussed the study at Gov. Andy Beshear's briefing Thursday afternoon, "The facility didn’t do anything wrong. They participated and did all the things they were supposed to do."

Beshear, asked why he hadn't required nursing-home workers to get vaccinated, said "There are some legal concerns with making it mandatory," and said any such mandate might cause a further decline in vaccinations. It is unclear whether the vaccines can be required because they are authorized for emergency use.

Beshear said nursing-home operators "need to make an extra push to get their people vaccinated," showing them the harm that can result from not doing so, but wasn't sure whether state officials have suggested that that the operators make it mandatory.

Louisville Business First reported in January that some facilities, such as Louisville-based Atria Senior Living, are mandating vaccines, but others are hesitant to do so, largely for fear of driving away employees in an industry that struggles with chronic shortages of workers.

The study says all of the staff and residents in the nursing home had been offered the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in three separate clinics, offered in every long-term care facility in the state as part of a federal program.

Genomic sequencing determined that the virus that caused the outbreak was an R.1 variant, which is not currently identified as a "variant of concern."  The study says that despite "multiple spike protein mutations" in the variant, which makes it more contagious, vaccinated residents and staff were 87% less likely to have symptomatic Covid-19 compared to those who were unvaccinated.

The researchers note that coronavirus vaccines are not 100% effective against the virus and that some breakthrough infections are expected. On April 13, the CDC reported about 5,800 such infections in the U.S.; at the time, nearly 77 million people had been fully vaccinated. That is 0.007%, less than one in 1,000.

They said the hospitalization of four unvaccinated residents, and the deaths of two, underscores the importance of the CDC's advice "that all persons, including those who have recovered from Covid-19, be vaccinated." They add later, “A continued emphasis on strategies for prevention of disease transmission, even among vaccinated populations, is also critical.”

Staff vaccines are 'imperative' but not required 

In conclusion, they say vaccines are "imperative" to protect residents and staff from skilled nursing facilities from the virus.

The Department for Public Health was asked why the state hasn't required coronavirus vaccines among long-term care staff to be vaccinated. It has not responded to the question.

According to a state Office of the Inspector General survey of all nursing homes in March, 73% of residents and 41% of staff were fully vaccinated, and 6% of the residents and 3% of the staff had received one dose of a vaccine.

Betsy Johnson, president of the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities, said her organization and the Kentucky Center for Assisted Living strongly urge those in long-term care to get vaccinated, but "Due to workforce challenges in this difficult profession, members are choosing not to mandate but instead incentivize, educate, and strongly encourage each employee to be vaccinated."

Dunlap, who is executive director of public affairs for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said the cabinet is working with its Long-Term Care Advisory Task Force to refine targeted messages to facilities' staff to promote the benefits of vaccination.

Now that the federal vaccination program is over, cabinet Inspector General Adam Mather has said, the state has a "maintenance program" to ensure that new residents, new staff, and reluctant residents and staff are able to get a shot.

Even with so many long-term care staff unvaccinated, deaths in such facilities have plummeted. Prior to vaccinations, which began with the facilities and other health-care workers, about 68% of the state's Covid-19 deaths were in long-term care, but that number has dropped to about 36%. 

“Our members have seen great strides since the vaccines entered their buildings," Johnson said. "The number of deaths and illnesses in these facilities has drastically decreased and residents can see their loved ones for the first time in months."

As more people get vaccinated, the opportunity to reconnect with others increases; experts talk about why touch is so important

ColoradoBoulevard.net photo

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

After a year of pandemic-forced isolation, when the simple act of touching became dangerous almost overnight, the arrival of highly effective vaccines means it's OK for fully  vaccinated people to touch again — and experts say it's important we do. 

That's because touching is how we show each other compassion and love, and because it is necessary for our physical, mental and emotional health, said Joe D'Ambrosio, a licensed clinical social worker in Louisville.

"Weighing the responsibility that we have to not increase Covid in this pandemic against human needs, I think that is the balance that we have to make," said D'Ambrosio, who is also a licensed marriage and family therapist, a lawyer and an assistant professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

D'Ambrosio said he has encouraged his clients throughout the pandemic to put on a mask and hug the people to whom they are regularly exposed. "I think that we have to be wise, we have to assess each situation and maybe even risk a bit to care for yourself and care for one another," he said. "We can't always live in a bubble. That's not going to work." 

Other opportunities for touch

D'Ambrosio acknowledged that many people are still scared to touch each other, even if they are fully vaccinated. For them, he advises finding other ways to get that tactile experience. For example, he encouraged them to regularly hug their pets, get a massage or take a warm bath and sleep under a weighted blanket.

There is even value in simply hugging yourself, said D-Ambrosio and Jill Cole, massage therapy coordinator at UK HealthCare's Integrative Medicine and Health. As we wait on restrictions in touch and social distancing to be lifted, and "are able to come back together, I think it's important that we think about opportunities for touch," she said. "The first thing we can do is just simply give ourselves a hug. I know that may sound a little hokey, but that is a form of touch." 

Healthline has reported the benefits of giving yourself a hug, including research showing it can relieve pain, help you feel safe and secure, improve your mood and increase self-compassion. The article also offers instructions on how to do it, titled, "Self-Hugging 101." 

Cole also encouraged people to seek out safe, therapeutic massage as part of their self-care during the pandemic. Information about whether a massage therapist is licensed and in good standing with the state can be found on the Kentucky Board of Massage Therapists website, she said. 

"Touch is important because it's inherent to who we are as humans. We have a significant need to receive and to give touch," she said, later adding, "Touch helps us physiologically, it helps us emotionally, it helps us spiritually, it definitely helps us physically."

Technology can also help seniors stay connected to their loved ones. Sheri Rose, CEO of the Thrive Center, a nonprofit senior-innovation center in Louisville, said it has a pilot program with Louisville's Nazareth Home that uses larger than normal tablet devices that can connect Facebook to Alexa, with the goal of increasing social connectedness between residents and families.

But while such things as artificial intelligence and robotics can help seniors age in place and stay connected, she said, "Nothing will replace the person being there, and that human touch." 

Why touch is important

Touch is required for human survival, just as food and water is, Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, told The Economist, which summarized: "It is the first sense to develop and the only one necessary for survival. We can live with the loss of sight or hearing. But without touch, which enables us to detect such stimuli as pressure, temperature and texture, we would be unable to walk or feel pain. Our skin is the vehicle through which we navigate the world."

As for living in a world where we never shake hands again, as Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested early in the pandemic to slow the spread of the coronavirus, D'Ambrosio said he hopes it never comes to that. 

"When I heard him say that, I thought, 'No, don't say that. Don't, because touching is probably one of the most important things that we could do in life because our skin is the largest organ that we have and there's so much research that shows what touching does to the body, how the body reacts to it," he said.

 

For example, he said touch decreases cortisol levels, a hormone produced in response to stress. It decreases blood pressure, and it lowers a heart rate. It releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with connection and empathy. He also pointed to studies that show an absence of touch in infants can have a negative effect on their growth and their ability as adults to have proper attachment. 

Cole added that research shows massage helps to calm a person's nervous systems, decreases their pain and anxiety and has had some impact on nausea. 

Social isolation, touch and seniors

The pandemic's forced isolation and the lack of touch have been especially hard on those living in long-term care and assisted living facilities.

Tammy Roberts, a licensed practical nurse at Masonic Home Shelbyville, told the story of a lady in her facility who broke down and said she just really needed to be hugged and when Roberts sat down next to her she leaned over and laid her head on her chest and "wrapped her arms around me really tight."

"I do think that is something that each and every one of them needs, a sense of touch. You know, we all do," she said. "I think there is a sense of isolation when you go so long without that human interaction and touch." 

Roberts said some residents  couldn't understand why their family members quit coming to see them, and felt abandoned. When restrictions on visitation were lifted, she said, "Some were very excited, some just couldn't even believe it. You know, it had been so long they just couldn't even believe it."

Kentucky relaxed some of its visitation restrictions at assisted living facilities and other types of group living homes in mid-February, two months after starting vaccinations and giving priority to residents of long-term-care facilities. A month later, it did the same for federally regulated nursing homes, also allowing them to return to group activities and congregate dining. 

WDRB tells the story of the reunion of  a long-term care 
resident at Nazareth Home in Louisville who was finally 
able to reunite with his wife after spending a year apart. 

Even residents who don't have family members are "reconnecting with their buddies. . . . so we're already seeing just the change in mental status, just incredibly, you can just feel it in the air when you walk through," said Karen Venis, chief executive officer of Sayre Christian Village in Lexington. She said, "It just feels so much more like normal, and that's all we're looking for."

Venis said the last year has been "very difficult on all levels" for residents, families and staff. "The connections that are made with family members, and those hugs, are hard for us to fill in those gaps," she said. "We've done as many things as we could to still let love in. We've done virtual visits and window visits, but that sense of touch, there's really nothing you can do to fill that void."  

Laurie Dorough, executive director of Daisy Hill Senior Living in Versailles, said she considers her staff "physicians of the spirit" whose job is to serve, love and minister to their residents. And because of that philosophy and also because they recognized the importance of touch, "We often suited up in PPE and just gave hugs."

Dorough said the new visitation rules have given her residents back their independence, to have fellowship and leave the facility if they choose. "I can definitely tell that the morale in all the residents is much stronger," she said. All her residents have been vaccinated, she said, but as a precaution they ask everyone to wear a mask when socializing unless they are eating.

D'Ambrosio said he understands the public-safety rationale for denying seniors visitation, but wonders about the long-term effects. 

"I watched a number of my clients that I have that are older deteriorate over the year because of loneliness and social isolation and lack of touch. They did not prosper. They deteriorated," he said. "And it wasn't normal aging, it was different than normal aging. It was from the lack of connection, lack of connectivity." 

Coronavirus new-case numbers and positive-test rate continue to trend down; state's new-case rate is 13th in nation

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Since the first case of the novel coronavirus was found in Kentucky a year ago, the state has tackled three separate escalations of cases, but for almost a month has seen new cases and positive-test numbers go down, to the levels of nearly five months ago. 

“Team Kentucky should be so proud of the progress we’ve made against this virus,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release Friday. “We’ve got to keep up our commitment to each other until we reach the finish line." 

Beshear announced 920 new cases, bringing the seven-day average to 922, the lowest since Oct. 12. 

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the last week dropped again, to 4.25%, down from 4.45% on Thursday.

Covid-19 hospitalizations remain largely stable, with 606 people hospitalized with the virus (down 39 from yesterday); 179 in intensive care (up 7); and 76 on a ventilator (down 15). 

Two hospital-readiness regions are using at least 80% of their intensive care beds: the easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties, 81%; and Lake Cumberland, 91%. 

Kentucky new-case rate ranks 13th, according to The New York Times. The state reports that rate to be 16.7 cases per 100,000 people. 

Counties with rates more double the statewide rate were Lyon, site of state prisons with outbreaks, 336 per 100,000; Clay, 51.7; Robertson, 47.4; Knox, 41.7; McCreary, 41.5; Taylor, 41.0; Owsley, 35.6; and Green, 35.3.

The state's daily vaccination report shows 789,083 Kentuckians have received a first dose of coronavirus vaccine, nearly 18% of the state's population. 

The state reports 22 more Kentuckians have been listed as dying from Covid-19, 19 of them confirmed and three of them probable. That brings the death toll to 4,754. The 14-day death average was 25.2. Half of Friday's reported deaths were in Woodford County, ranging in ages from 54 to 97. 

Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman will host a virtual memorial to honor the more than 4,700 Kentuckians who have died from Covid-19 and to the one-year anniversary of the first case. The event will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 6 on the rear terrace of the state Capitol. 

In other pandemic news Friday: 

• The 22 fatalities were a Bath County woman, 83; a Clark County man, 81; three Garrard County women, 72, 77 and 92; two Garrard County men, 72,90; a Hardin County man, 72; a Jefferson County woman, 77; a Jefferson County man, 77; a Logan County man, 86; five Woodford County women, 60, 71, 72, 84 and 97; and six Woodford County men, 54, 61, 71, 76, 90 and 93.
• Counties with 10 or more new cases were Jefferson, 141; Fayette, 67; Kenton, 33; Scott, 30; Franklin and Hardin, 29; Warren, 25; Campbell, 22; Boone, 21; Oldham, 18; Bullitt and Knox, 16; Laurel and Pike, 15; Perry, 14; Floyd, Madison and Pulaski, 13; Barren, Carter, Daviess and Nelson, 11; and Harlan, Wayne and Whitley, 10.
• In long-term-care facilities, nine more residents and 15 more staff tested positive for the virus today, bringing their total number of active cases to 156 among residents and 156 among staff.
• Linda Blackford reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader on the first person with a confirmed case of the virus in Kentucky, Julia Donohue, but notes that she was not "patient zero." That person, she writes, was someone else in Harrison County who had gone to a conference in California last February and came back as an asymptomatic carrier. Blackford adds that Donohue, 28, was sick for several days before being tested for Covid-19, and by the time her test came back positive on March 6, she was already intubated and being airlifted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center. 
• Ryan Van Velzer of WFPL also tells the story of Donohue, and Amber Philpott of WKYT tells the story from the perspective of business owners and health leaders in Cynthiana, her hometown. 
• Daniel Desrochers of the Herald-Leader interprets the "sprawling spreadsheet" of Covid-19 data monitoring new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, reporting that the trends are improving in Kentucky. 
• In the American Psychological Association's Technology Mind and Behavior journal, Jeremy Bailenson lays out four reasons for what he calls "Zoom fatigue," a term he uses to encompass all video chats, which have become the norm during the pandemic, The Washington Post reports. Bailenson says this fatigue is a result of an unnatural amount of direct-eye gaze, which is much like public speakers' experience; a situation that results in constant self-evaluation; a situation that cuts down on a person's ability to move around; and a situation that requires more mental effort is needed.
• Kentucky is among states that has not tracked teacher and staff vaccinations amid the school reopening push, the Post reports.
• A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows that mask mandates and restricting in-person dining in restaurants can help limit community spread of the coronavirus, thus reducing case and death rates. "Mandating masks was associated with a decrease in daily Covid-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation. Allowing on-premises restaurant dining was associated with an increase in daily Covid-19 case growth rates 41–100 days after implementation and an increase in daily death growth rates 61–100 days after implementation," says the report. The Herald-Leader reports on the study. Here's a graphic:

With supply of new J&J vaccine to be boosted by Merck deal, Beshear says state may need FEMA help to get doses in arms

Ky. Health News graph; case numbers are from unadjusted daily reports; click on it to enlarge

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

President Biden announced Tuesday that there will be enough coronavirus vaccine for every American adult by the end of May, largely because Merck & Co. has agreed to partner with Johnson & Johnson to help make its single-dose, easy-to-store vaccine.

Gov. Andy Beshear lauded the partnership at a regional vaccination site visit in Frankfort on Wednesday. "The timetable to ending this virus has been moved up and moved up significantly," he said. "And that is great news." 

Asked Monday if the state would need assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to handle the influx of supply that will be coming with the addition of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Beshear said he would keep that option "available and open."

Previously, he had said he didn't want a FEMA mass-vaccination site unless it came with more doses of vaccine, but now there is concern that there aren't enough vaccinators to put doses into arms.

"It is certainly a possibility that we will either accept a FEMA site and or additional FEMA personnel even with projected supply that we'll get," Beshear said. "As we get new projections of supply, and they increase it, it may be that our current providers don't have the staff necessary to increase."

He added later, "We also have some folks that have been helping out the state in other capacities that have the right licensing to provide vaccines, and we may be able to move them over too." He said he wants to make sure the state keeps using at least 90 percent of its weekly supply, "and if we have to adjust staffing to do that, we will."

The state's daily vaccination report for Wednesday shows 731,793 Kentuckians have received their first dose of a vaccine. Beshear noted that the rate of vaccinations is ramping up, with about 20,000 Kentuckians vaccinated in just one day on Tuesday. 

To find the closest vaccination site near you or to find transportation to that site go to vaccine.ky.gov or call 855-598-2246. The website also allows you to get on a list to find out when appointments are available at new and existing sites across the state.

Daily numbers: Beshear announced 1,175 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the state's seven-day rolling average to 1,013, the lowest since Oct. 15. 

The percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days continues to decline, to 4.60% on Wednesday, from 4.76% Tuesday and 4.84% Monday. Health officials regularly call for a positivity rate below 5% as a sign of low community spread. 

Even though Kentucky's case rate is declining, it's doing so at a slower rate than other states. The New York Times ranks Kentucky's case rate 12th highest. The state reports its rate is 18.42 cases per 100,000 people.

The highest rates are in Lyon and Caldwell counties: 200 and 140 per 100,000, respectively. They reflect an outbreak of virus cases at the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex, which is in Lyon County but gets its mail from Fredonia, which is in Caldwell County. Lyon County has other prisons, but the complex accounts for 232 of the 245 active cases among state-prison inmates.

Other counties with rates double the statewide figure are Taylor, 53.2; McCreary, 50.6; Clay, 48.8; Knox, 44.0; Green, 40.5; Owsley, 38.8; Russell, 38.3; Adair, 37.9; and Whitley, 37.4. 

The number of counties in the most critical "red zone" for counties with 25 or more cases per 100,000 also continues to drop, with only 17 of the 120 counties in the zone on Wednesday. 

The day's downside was 33 additional deaths from Covid-19, seven probable and 26 confirmed. That brings the state's toll to 4,704. The state has averaged 26.3 deaths per day over the last 14 days; that reflects the date deaths were listed after the cases went through official reviews. 

Beshear said in a social media post, “Let’s remember as we work toward defeating this virus, we can’t quit. We can't stop working hard each and every day. We've got to keep masking up, we have to keep engaging in social distancing, we've got to keep appropriate rules and regulations in place because we continue to lose people, even as we get closer to the end." 

Beshear said he will hold a ceremony Saturday to recognize the one-year anniversary of when the state announced its first case; details are forthcoming.

In other pandemic news Wednesday: 

• The 33 fatalities were an Adair County woman, 69; two Boone County women, 62 and 80; a Boone County man, 58; a Boyd County man 78; a Bullitt County man, 73; a Clark County woman, 74; two Clark County men, 76 and 90; two Daviess County man, 57 and 65; a Floyd County man, 70; a Grant County woman, 43; a Grayson County woman, 64; a Hopkins County woman, 86; two Jefferson County women, 73 and 83; four Jefferson County men, 58, 74, 84 and 89; a Jessamine County woman, 89; a Jessamine County man, 69; a Kenton County woman, 71; a Laurel County man, 81; a Letcher County man, 46; a McCracken County woman, 65; a McCracken County man, 86; a Nelson County man, 72; a Shelby County man, 83; two Warren County men, 44 and 67; and a Webster County woman, 87.
• Counties with 10 or more new cases were Jefferson, 180; Kenton, 65; Fayette, 54; Boone, 48; Campbell, 46; Scott, 35; Hardin, 32; McCracken and McCreary, 25; Madison and Oldham, 24; Pulaski, 22; Grant and Laurel, 21; Daviess, Jessamine and Warren, 20; Wayne, 19; Bullitt, Franklin and Knox, 17; Rowan, 16; Lincoln, 14; Barren and Taylor, 13; Clark, Nelson, Perry, Pike and Shelby, 12; Logan, Simpson and Whitley, 11; and Lawrence, 10.
• Hospital numbers continue to trend down, with with 680 people hospitalized with Covid-19 (down 4 from yesterday), 175 of them in intensive care (down 3); and 79 of those on ventilators (down 3). Today's hospitalizations are the fewest since Oct. 16. 
• The easternmost hospital readiness region of the state, from Lee to Pike counties, along with the Lake Cumberland region, continue to use more than 80% of their intensive care beds: 84.56% and 97.78% respectively. 
• Maggie Menderski of the Louisville Courier Journal tells the story of 105-year-old Donald Robinson who has survived two pandemics and recently got his first dose of the vaccine.

Dolly Parton, who gave $1 million to Vanderbilt University to help develop the Moderna vaccine, gets a taste of her medicine

Dolly Parton, who helped fund the Moderna vaccine with $1 million donation to researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, received her shot Tuesday from Dr. Naji Abumrad, "a Vanderbilt physician she met after a car wreck in 2013. Their seven-year friendship led to Parton donating to vaccination research," Matthew Leimkuehler reports for the Tennessean. "In a video published Tuesday, Parton encouraged viewers to get vaccinated because "the sooner we get to feelin' better, the sooner we are gonna get back to being normal."

Leimkuehler writes, "In the video, Parton put a vaccine spin on her classic 'Jolene,' singing a capella: 'Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I'm beggin' of you, please don't hesitate. . . . 'Cause once you're dead, then that's a bit too late.'"

Nearly all metrics of the pandemic in Ky. are going the right way, with new single-dose vaccine likely to be approved this weekend

A flag is placed behind the Capitol for each Kentucky Covid-19 victim. (Photo by Melissa Patrick)

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

The good news on a rainy Friday was that nearly all the metrics used to measure the pandemic in Kentucky are down, and the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine will likely be approved this weekend. 

“We’re still not out of the woods with this horrible virus, but every week, we’re taking another step forward in our fight against it," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. 

Beshear reported 1,180 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing the seven-day average to 1,182 – more precisely, 1,181.7, just 1.7 more than the daily number. That could be an indicator of stability. 

The percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days declined again, to 5.52% on Friday, down from 5.67% Thursday. The World Health Organization says the rate should be below 5% for two weeks before governments ease restrictions imposed to thwart spread of the virus.

The state reports a new-case rate in the last seven days of 23 per 100,000 people. Counties with double that rate are Laurel, 47 per 100,000; Owsley, 51.8; Taylor, 59.9; and Caldwell, 248.8. The New York Times ranks Kentucky eighth in new-case rate over the last seven days.

Beshear reported 30 new deaths of Kentuckians from Covid-19, all but one of them confirmed. The governor continues to add new flags in memoriam of each Kentuckian who has died from Covid-19. Friday's additions brought that number to 4,600. 

Hospital numbers remain steady, with 818 people hospitalized in Kentucky with Covid-19 (down 25 from yesterday); 218 of them in intensive care (down 2); and 105 of those on a ventilator (down 17). 

Two of the state's 10 hospital readiness regions are using at least 80% of their intensive care beds: the easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties, 81.6%; and Lake Cumberland, 93.3%. 

School openings: On Tuesday, Feb. 23, Beshear issued an executive order with recommendations for Kentucky school districts to offer or expand some in-person learning by March 1, or a week after school personnel have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. 

The Kentucky School Board Association tweeted that as of Feb. 23, 166 of the 171 districts have returned to in-person schooling, and that by March 15, at least 65 plan to have all students in person four or five days a week; another 16 districts plan that for elementary students, with middle and high school students in person two to four days per week. 

Valarie Honeycutt Spears reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader that at least three entire Fayette County school classes, as well as other students and staff, have been quarantined since students in kindergarten through second grade resumed in-person schooling Monday, Feb. 22.

Schools are asked to submit daily case and quarantine data to the state's K-12 dashboard, but 623 of the state's 1,477 public schools (42%, or three out of seven) did not report this week, and 181 (12%) have never reported. In the week ending Feb. 25, the dashboard shows 506 students and 86 staff have tested positive for the virus and 1,185 students and 129 staff were quarantined.  

Vaccines: The daily vaccination report shows 655,275 Kentuckians have received one dose of either the Pfize-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. 

And with only three more days in the state's vaccine cycle, which runs Monday to Sunday, the state has only administered 39%, or 60,276 doses, of the 152,710 doses it received for first-dose distribution this week.

Beshear has said several times that this week will be a test run to see if the state's vaccine system is up to the challenge of delivering more vaccines, since it ended up with more than double the amount it normally gets because of the severe weather. 

And it looks like the supply is getting ready to stay up with approval expected to come as early as this weekend for the Johnson & Johnson single-dose coronavirus vaccine. 

An independent Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has recommended that the single-dose Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Politico reports that FDA authorization could come as early as this weekend. 

"Johnson & Johnson has said that it will have 4 million doses available upon authorization, with 20 million doses delivered by the end of March. The company has promised the U.S. government a total of 100 million doses by late June," Politico reports.

As part of a campaign to increase coronavirus vaccination rates among Black communities,  Beshear joined Louisville NAACP leaders on Friday to address vaccine hesitancy in this population. So far, 4.6% of Black Kentuckians have received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, even though they make up 8.5% of the population. 

Raoul Cunningham, president of the NAACP Louisville chapter, who welcomed the governor, said in a news release: "African-Americans are infected with COVID-19 at nearly three times the rate of white Americans and are twice as likely to die from the virus. The Louisville Branch NAACP encourages the entire community, especially our constituents, to get the vaccine." 

In other pandemic news Friday: 

• Today's 30 fatalities were a Carlisle County man, 79; two Clark County women, 65 and 87;a Daviess County woman, 84; three Daviess County men, 53, 76 and 83; a Floyd County man, 75; a Garrard County man, 73; six Jefferson County women, 53, 55, 63, 66, 67 and 86; five Jefferson County men, 60, 66, 70, 72 and 83; a Lincoln County man, 70; a McCreary County man, 74; two Mercer County women, 63 and 77; a Mercer County man, 74; a Perry County man, 72; two Pulaski County men, 66,71; a Rockcastle County man, 70; and a Rowan County man, 78.
• Counties with 10 or more new cases were Jefferson, 216; Fayette, 80; Kenton, 74; Boone, 49; Warren, 36; Campbell, 29; Scott, 27; Pike and Taylor, 25; Carter, 22; Perry, 21; Adair, 20; Grant and Whitley, 20; Hardin and Madison, 19; Daviess, 17; McCracken and Oldham, 16; Knox, 15; Johnson, 14; Caldwell and Pulaski, 13; Bath, 12; Laurel and Shelby, 11; and Jessamine, Lawrence and Russell, 10.
• In long-term care facilities, 167 residents and 162 staff have an active case of the coronavirus, with nine residents and 11 staff added to that list today. 
•  As Kentucky moves to the 1C category for coronavirus vaccinations on Monday, March 1, which includes essential workers, people 60 and older and those 16 and older with certain health conditions, Deborah Yetter of the Louisville Courier Journal reports that many 70 and older are still trying to get a shot. She writes, "Of the about 100,000 people in the [Louisville] metro area 70 or older, 44,853, or fewer than half, have been vaccinated, according to the local health department. Kentucky has about 500,000 people over 70 statewide, with about 278,000 vaccinated." Yetter also expands on the many challenges people are finding to get vaccinated in a system that is not centralized. 
• Health departments in Eastern Kentucky provide Hazard's WYMT-TV with a report that includes new coronavirus cases and related deaths for each of the departments or districts. 
• Click here for this week's federal Coronavirus Task Force report. 
• The governor renewed his executive order requiring face coverings for another 30 days, says the release.  
• In September and November 2020, direct observation at six universities with mask mandates, including the University of Pikeville, found that 90% of those observed wore masks correctly, including covering the mouth, nose and chin, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. "Among 17,200 observed persons, 85.5% wore masks, with 89.7% of those persons wearing the mask correctly (overall correct mask use: 76.7%). Among persons observed indoors, 91.7% wore masks correctly. The proportion correctly wearing masks indoors varied by mask type, from 96.8% for N95-type masks and 92.2% for cloth masks to 78.9% for bandanas, scarves, and similar face coverings," says the report. 

Beshear says 119 new vaccine sites will bring total to 410; state's positive-test rate keeps falling; other metrics remain mostly stable

State Department for Public Health map, adapted by Kentucky Health News; click it to enlarge.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Gov. Andy Beshear announced that the state will open 119 new coronavirus vaccination sites next week, bringing the total to 410. 

Six of the new locations will be regional sites; three are federally qualified health centers; 10 are at Walmart stores; 10 are at Kroger stores; and 90 will be at Walgreens stores. The new regional sites will be in Mount Vernon, Princeton, Burkesville, Richmond, Leitchfield, and Muhlenberg County. 

"Don’t let anybody tell you different; vaccinations are going incredibly well in Kentucky," Beshear said, referring to a report that gave Kentucky a low ranking on vaccine delivery. His administration said the report was misleading because it counted second doses and last week's weather fouled up the rollout.

Beshear said even though Kentucky only got 6,825 new doses last week because of the weather, the state was able to use all of its extra and ended up vaccinating 41,835 people with a first dose. 

“Last week was disrupted . . . We used every remaining bit that was out there," he said. "We will never judge ourselves in Kentucky by how quick the second dose gets to people. When we start doing that, it means we are sending it out willy-nilly. Every single second dose is for a specific individual that we want to get to that higher level of effectiveness of the vaccine. That's what the FDA tells us to do. That's what the CDC tells us to do. And that's what we're gonna do."

  

The state's daily vaccination report shows 646,836 Kentuckians have received their first dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. That's 14.7% of the state's population, said Beshear. 

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said transit agencies are offering free or reduced-cost transportation to and from vaccine appointments. She said such services are alreasy operating in 99 of the 120 counties. To find transportation near you go to kycovid19.ky.gov or call 855-598-2246. 

“We want all Kentuckians who wish to get vaccinated to be able to do so, and we do not want transportation to be a barrier,” Coleman said.

Starting Monday, March 1, Kentuckians in Category 1C become eligible for the vaccine. The category includes essential workers, people 60 and older, and people over 16 with certain health conditions. Beshear continues to ask sites to prioritize people 60 and older. 

Asked why hair stylists and barbers weren't included in Category 1C, Beshear first commended them for doing a good job in following public-health guidelines, but said they would not be in 1C because the CDC had not included them. 

Beshear confirmed that about 1,000 Ohioans signed up at a Kroger facility in Covington to get a vaccine. He said Kroger has since fixed the process so that can't happen again, and he would ask the federal government to send Kentucky doses from Ohio's allocation to make up for those doses.  

He said the Ohioans will be allowed to get the shots: “They’re people, too, and they can spread it across the river." 

Daily numbers: The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days was 5.67%, the lowest that rate's been since Oct. 24, but Beshear announced 1,447 new cases of the Thursday, bringing the seven-day average to 1,298, up for the third straight day. 

He said this week's case numbers are on track to be a bit higher than last week's, but blamed that on less testing being last week because of the weather. For example, he said about 14,000 tests were done Wednesday, but only 9,600 were done last Wednesday. 

From the Monday start of the reporting week through Thursday, there have been 4,780 cases; the same period last week had 3,958. 

The state reports a new-case rate of 24.7 per 100,000 people over the last seven days. Counties with more than double that rate are McCreary, at 49.7 per 100,000; Owsley, 51.8; Laurel, 53.1; Russell, 56.6; Taylor, 60.4; and Caldwell, 269. The state ranks 10th in new cases, The New York Times reports.

Hospital numbers remain steady, with 843 people hospitalized in Kentucky with Covid-19 (down 40 from yesterday; 220 of them in intensive care (down 8); and 122 of those on ventilators (up 10). 

Three of the state's 10 hospital readiness regions are using at least 80% of their intensive-care beds: Lake Cumberland, 91.1%; Barren River, 84.3%; and the easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties, 80.9%.  

Beshear announced 43 more deaths on Thursday, 39 of them confirmed and four probable. That brings the death toll to 4,570. Deaths are announced after cases are reviewed for confirmation, which can take weeks.

The governor said a cursory glance at his list shows that the "vast majority" of the deaths happened in February, a "decent amount" happened in January and eight or fewer were what he called "historic deaths," meaning that they have been held up by the review committee for one reason or another. 

"This hasn't gotten easer in 11 months," he said. "Every day you feel people's loss." 

The 14-day death average is 25.6, were it was when a climb was in progress on Jan. 11 that ended up reaching a high of 47.3 on Jan. 29.

Asked when church capacities could be raised above 50%, Beshear noted that the limit has long been only advisory, and that if the state continues in the direction its on, "There is a lot of new opportunity." 

In other pandemic news Thursday:

• The 43 fatalities reported Thursday were a Bell County man, 73; a Boone County man, 95; an Elliott County man, 78; a Fayette County man, 91; two Floyd County women, 59 and 80; a Floyd County man, 72; a Graves County man, 75; a Hardin County woman, 60; a Henry County man, 70; a Hopkins County woman, 21; four Jefferson County women, 70, 76, 78 and 81; seven Jefferson County men, 57, 63, 79, 79, 81, 90 and 97; a Kenton County woman, 95; two Larue County men, 73 and 79; a Lawrence County woman, 67; a McCracken County woman, 78; a McCracken County man, 79; a McCreary County man, 62; two Madison County men, 84 and 85; a Marshall County man, 65; two Meade County men, 72 and 87; a Menifee County man, 49; a Nelson County woman, 85; two Nelson County men, 89 and 93; a Perry County man, 72; a Pulaski County man, 58; a Shelby County woman, 71; a Spencer County man, 87; and a Taylor County man, 72.
• Counties with more than 10 new cases were Jefferson, 220; Caldwell, 187; Fayette, 78; Boone, 43; Daviess, 40; Hardin and Scott, 37; Kenton, 36; Warren, 34; Bullitt, 30; Jessamine, 28; Laurel and Madison, 27; Johnson, 26; Whitley, 24; Taylor, 19; McCracken, Montgomery, Pike and Shelby, 18; Clark, 17; Adair and Christian, 16; Barren and McCreary, 15; Bell and Campbell, 14; Floyd, 13; Marshall, Nelson, Oldham and Perry, 12; and Knox, 11.
• In long-term-care facilities, 174 residents and 168 staff have active cases of the virus, with nine residents and 11 staffers newly positive. Beshear attributed 15 more deaths to the virus in the facilities, bringing their Covid-19 death toll to 2,258. 
• Click here for more information about unemployment insurance in the governor's news release.

Gray works to create high-volume regional vaccination centers in anticipation of the day when there is an abundance of supply

Transportation Secretary Jim Gray

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News  

State Transportation Secretary Jim Gray manages a $2.2 billion budget and has been president of an international construction firm, two-term mayor of Lexington and Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, but he says none of those responsibilities has been more important than his new one: getting coronavirus vaccines to Kentuckians.

"There's probably, arguably, nothing in my lifetime that has represented more of an important responsibility than this," Gray, 67, said in an interview Friday with Kentucky Health News. 

In his new public-health role, Gray says he hears the voice of his grandfather, Dr. Carl Clifford Howard of Glasgow, who was known as the father of Kentucky's tuberculosis hospital system and was a strong advocate for public health. 

"His voice really spoke to me when the governor asked me to take on this responsibility," Gray said. "It continues to speak to me, in terms of the urgency of this effort, the significance of this effort that impacts so many of our people." 

One side of historical marker in

Summer Shade, Howard's birthplace.

(Photo from Columbia Magazine)

Dr. C. C. Howard not only opened the first hospital and medical laboratory in Glasgow, in 1914 and 1915 respectively, but was also instrumental in developing the state TB hospital there.

Gray said his grandfather, who died in 1971, "was always interested in trying to help in other locations, to take medical care to other locations," and persuaded Gov. Ned Breathitt (1963-67) to put a health clinic in the Martin County seat of Inez, four hours by road from Glasgow, where Gray grew up.

Gov. Andy Beshear named Gray director of vaccine distribution Jan. 14, tasking him with getting regional high-volume vaccine sites evaluated and secured, in anticipation of the day when the state has enough doses of vaccine to get a shot into the arm of every Kentuckian who wants one.

Gray said the effort is part of the "largest logistical effort and project in world history," according to officials of UPS, who he said clearly understand the scale of the job. The company has a hub in Louisville and delivers vaccines from the manufacturers to all states east of the Mississippi River.

Kentucky's first four regional vaccination sites are opening this week. One, in partnership with Kroger Health, opens Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Kentucky Horse Park's Alltech Arena. Another will open in Danville, through a partnership with Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center. Two will open in Paducah, through partnerships with Western Baptist Hospital and Mercy Health-Lourdes Hospital. More are in the works. 

Dept. of Public Health map; click on it to enlarge.

When Beshear asked him to take this role, Gray said, he recognized the governor's main charge to him was to support and reinforce the work of the state Department of Public Health, led by Commissioner Steven Stack.

"Dr. Stack has done a remarkable job. I say routinely that this is such a high-performance team," Gray said. "I don't think there's a better leader in the country in any state than Dr. Steven Stack." 

Gray brings private- and public-sector experience to his new role, having learned about logistics and distribution during his many years in Gray Construction and about the importance of "listening eloquently" and solving problems when he was mayor of Lexington from 2011 through 2018.  

"It's all about problem solving, putting a bear hug around a problem and wrestling it to the ground," he said. "And that, in many respects, is what a project like this represents as well." 

The big bear right now, vaccine supply, is hard to reach. Beshear has said at least 64,000 shots will be given this week, but the state could vaccinate 250,000 people a week if it could get that many doses. As supplies remain tight and demand has increased, the state has had to delay the third phase of vaccine eligibility, which includes people 60 and older.

Gray said one of the first things he did after being asked to take on this role was to establish a project management office, which is run by Mark Carter, who is also in charge of the program that traces the contacts of people infected with the virus. Carter once ran a Medicaid managed-care firm in Louisville. 

Project management is a basic approach in construction, Gray's main career. "When a project-management system functions well, when it's clear, when the organization is clear and the roles and responsibilities are clear, when the schedule is clear, and the budget is clear, then the project can be more efficiently and effectively managed," he said. "So that's exactly what we've established right out of the gate." 

Gray's other lieutenants include Jamie Emmons, his Transportation Cabinet chief of staff, and Mike Dossett, the director of the state Division of Emergency Management, who leads the team that evaluates potential sites and selects them for implementation. 

Six weeks into the project, Gray said the team has evaluated sites all over Kentucky, but not chosen them all. The ultimate goal, he said, is to make sure there are no "vaccine desserts" in the state. More sites will be announced on each of the next two Thursdays, Beshear said Thursday, Jan. 28.

Gray said his team aims for an "equitable distribution" of vaccines, just like Stack and his lieutenants do when they allocate them, considering such things as the most vulnerable populations; making sure there is vaccine access for communities of color, which have been hard hit by the virus; and ensuring that areas with large populations are covered, because this improves herd immunity, which requires at least 70% of the population to have been vaccinated. 

He said the team uses a two-page checklist to evaluate sites, answering questions such as whether the clinic will be walk-in or a drive-through, the dates of availability, whether there is access to an interstate highway, the number of doses that can be administered per hour, who will provide the workforce, whether there is access to medical-grade refrigerators and high-speed internet service, what type of security is available, and the availability of restrooms. 

"Population densities, vaccine throughput, and drive times are our main drivers," Gray said. "We're trying to avoid anyone having to drive more than one county away to get a vaccine." He added, "The most efficient vaccination system is going to be one that focuses on getting as many vaccines into arms as many shots in arms as we can as quickly [as we can].

One of Gray's memories about his grandfather was that he "often went against the grain, especially against the medical community," and was often described as a socialist because of his dedication to public health. He said his advice continues to guide him: "He would say, Jim, always remember, take care of the people, and the money will take care of itself." 

As of Jan. 29, the state has administered 382,219 doses of vaccine. Of those, 327,473 have been administered in a state program, and 54,746 have been given to residents and staff in nursing homes, through a much slower federal program run by CVS Health and Walgreens.

Both vaccines in use require a booster shot three or more weeks after the first inoculation. National vaccine trackers show 7 percent of the state's population has received at least one shot, just above the national average of 6.9%.

"We're doing, I believe, the best that can be done," Gray said. "I'm going to say more than just the best we can. I think we're doing the best that can be done to distribute the vaccine, this limited supply of vaccine. We have to [get to] as many people as we can, as quickly as we can throughout the state."

Asked about the challenges of adding this new position to his ongoing responsibilities as transportation secretary, he said, "Multi-tasking is sometimes a skill that we all need to acquire and when we're called to a duty, we need to accept that call and accept that duty."

That said, he added that  he had a "really talented team" at the transportation cabinet who came with a wealth of institutional knowledge and talent, and because of that, he was more able to take on this assignment, "which is so vital and so important."

Beshear says Ky. will be fastest state at getting teachers and school staff widely vaccinated, but many are refusing shots

Ky. Dept. for Public Health graph, relabeled by Ky. Health News; for a larger version, click on it.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

In an effort to return children to in-person schooling, Kentucky will likely be the fastest state to widely vaccinate its school personnel for Covid-19, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.

Beshear said at a news briefing that he hopes every educator and school worker will have an opportunity to get a vaccination in the next two weeks. "What we're excited about is that we think we're going to be the fastest state to vaccinate our educators in every part of the state," he said. "That will provide a level of protection to the faculty and to everybody who works in that building." 

The governor added that last week, 1,312 students and 602 staff tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and 5,422 students and 780 staff were quarantined because of potential exposure to it. Further, he said Kentucky has 27 high-school sports teams in quarantine. 

"So the myth that Covid doesn't happen in or around schools is a myth. And that's one of the reasons that our schools work so hard. They do a good job trying to protect students and staff," Beshear said. "And that's also why we are working to become the fastest state to vaccinate those that work in our school buildings so that we can get back open full time to our students." 

The case and quarantine numbers are likely higher, since 344 schools didn't report to the school dashboard last week. Beshear encouraged all schools to submit their data, calling it their "obligation" so that parents can have a real choice in whether it is safe to send their kids to school or not. 

Beshear added that the flexibility of the state's guidance for reopening should be carefully considered in schools and communities that are showing spikes in cases. He said there will be times they may need to move to remote learning to reduce cases, and then move back to in-person or a hybrid plan.  

Despite Beshear's hope, many people who work in the state's schools are refusing to get vaccinated, Corinne Boyer and Liam Niemeyer report for the Ohio Valley ReSource, a public-radio consortium. 

 "A surprising number of workers in some key sectors are hesitant or are refusing to get a shot," Boyer and Niemeyer report. In Western Kentucky, upwards of 70 percent of school staff are declining the vaccine, they found.

In Hopkins County, which with 100 deaths has the state's fourth highest Covid-19 death rate, a district survey found that about half of the school district's staff declined the vaccine.

“Just like through so much of this, it’s a political issue. There’s people on both sides of it. And in our community, much like the nation, I think it’s split about 50-50,” School Supt. Deanna Ashby, who was first in the district to get the shot, said. “And because it is such a sensitive issue, I have not done a hard sell on it. I’ve not done a hard push whatsoever.”

Beshear said that as of Monday, the state has administered 88% of all initial doses it has received, not counting those allocated to long-term-care facilities, which are going much more slowly, under a federal contract. He said all facilities had received the first round of shots, and believes they have received their booster allocations, so the state will work to see if they have extra doses.

Last week, the state vaccinated 82,511 people with an initial dose, the most yet, and 93,499 counting those who got a second dose, but the federal government sends it only gets 56,000 doses a week, Beshear said.

“The problem here is supply, supply, supply," he said. "We believe that we could vaccinate 250,000 Kentuckians a week right now, and we’re still building up our capabilities, but if we’re only getting 56,000 new doses, it is an extreme limitation that's holding us from getting our people vaccinated as quickly as we want."  

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that less than 1% of Kentuckians, 0.44%, has received both doses of the vaccine and are considered fully immunized. 

The state's vaccine report shows 308,812 doses have been administered in Kentucky. Of those, 47,105 have been given to staff and residents in long-term care facilities, only 39% of the total doses allocated to them.

Beshear said all long-term-care residents and staff have been offered at least one dose of the vaccine, provided by CVS Health and Walgreens. He said any facility that has not been fully vaccinated should reach out to the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. 

Beshear said he would make announcements Thursday about regional drive-through vaccination centers to be sponsored by the Kroger Co. and other partner locations. He said these centers will be available to vaccinate Kentuckians in Phase 1A, 1B, and 1C.  

He cautioned that the waiting list could be more than 10,000 deep because slots will have to be limited to the amount of vaccine available and those over 70 will be given priority. 

Beshear said Kentucky would certainly want one of the FEMA vaccination centers that President Biden plans to create, but said it must come with more vaccine because there is not enough to spread around.

Ky. Dept. for Public Health graph, relabeled by Ky. Health News; for a larger version, click on it.

Daily numbers: Beshear announced that the state's weekly new-case numbers dropped for the second week in a row and the share of Kentuckians who tested positive for the virus in the past seven days had fallen below 10% for this first time since Dec. 31, to 9.93%. And while still high, he said Monday's single day of cases, 1,268, was the lowest it's been for a Monday since Jan. 4. Mondays are usually low due to limited testing on weekends; the number is the lowest since the day after Christmas.

“Our cases are way too high, but I think when you look at this it shows how important the steps we took are and how important the ability to be able to take steps is when you are facing exponential growth in cases,” Beshear said. “We believe that this decline is real, not just a result of maybe fewer tests happening, because we know the positivity rate is also going down.”

Monday's cases brought the state's seven-day average of new cases per day down to 2,750, the lowest it's been since Jan. 2, when it was 2,640. 

The state's hospital numbers remain "fairly stable," Beshear said, with 1,539 people hospitalized with the virus; 374 of them in the intensive care; and 203 of those on a ventilator. 

"So folks, keep it up," he said. "What I absolutely know from what we see from looking at the numbers is that you're wearing masks. You're wearing masks every time you go out. You're wearing masks when you're inside working and there are other people. Keep it up. There is a light at the end of the tunnel."

Kentucky's daily Covid-19 death rate continues to rise, as the state sees the effects of the holiday surge in cases. Beshear announced 39 more deaths on Monday, bringing the state's toll to 3,460. Over the last 14 days, the state has recorded an average of 38.4 deaths per day, the highest so far. 

 

"Our hope is as cases decline, we will see a decline in those that we are losing," Beshear said. 

Mahone

The governor honored Tara Mahone, who died Jan. 15 from Covid-19. She was a court designated worker who worked with young people in Christian County. Beshear said she will be inducted into the Department of Family and Juvenile Services' Hall of Fame by the Administrative Office of the Courts. 

"We will miss Tara and I know her work family, her family and her community are going to miss her greatly. I know she made a great impact on this earth while she was here. Let's wear a mask in her honor. We will be planting a flag in her honor," said Beshear, referring to the flags that have been placed on the Capitol grounds to honor those who have died from Covid-19.

In other coronavirus news Monday:

• Seven of the 39 deaths were probable and 32 were confirmed. The fatalities were a Barren County woman, 79; a Bath County man, 85; a Butler County man, 85; a Calloway County woman, 59; a Christian County woman, 79; two Christian County men, 77 and 90; a Clay County woman, 67; a Clay County man, 68; three Crittenden County women,74, 83 and 97; two Crittenden County men, 50 and 78; an Edmonson County man, 65; two Fayette County women, 69 and 79; a Fayette County man, 82; a Floyd County woman, 72; a Graves County woman, 83; a Greenup County man, 69; a Hart County woman, 90; a Hopkins County man, 93; two Jefferson County women, 78 and 82; a Livingston County woman, 85; a Lyon County man, 66; two Madison County men, 74 and 80; a Mercer County woman, 73; a Metcalfe County woman, 82; a Monroe County woman, 81; a Rowan County man, 70; three Simpson County women, 65, 96 and 98; a Warren County woman and man, both 73; and a Washington County man, 75.
• Counties with 10 or more cases were Jefferson, 272; Fayette, 149; Calloway, 52; Kenton, 43; Franklin, 37; Madison, 30; Bullitt, 28; Boone, 26;  Pulaski, 25; Jessamine, 23; Daviess, 21; Barren, McCracken, Trigg and Warren, 18; Campbell and Nelson, 17; Carter and Oldham, 16; Pike, 15; Graves,  Hardin, Letcher, and Scott, 14;  Boyd and Shelby, 12; Floyd, 11; Boyle, Harrison, Hart, Logan, Mercer and Taylor, 10. 
• None of the state's 120 counties had an incidence rate of 100 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days. The closest was in Hancock County, with 95 per 100,000. The state's overall incidence rate is 58.93 per 100,000. 
• The hospital readiness regions where intensive-care beds are more than 80% full are Barren River, at 87.04%; Northeast, 89.06%; East, at 82.35%; and Lake Cumberland, 95.56%. The Northeast 's overall capacity is also tight, at 85.33%.
• In long-term care facilities, 70 more residents and 55 more staff tested positive for the virus, bringing their active cases up to 917 residents and 442 staff. Thirty-three more residents have been identified as Covid-19 fatalities, bringing the long-term-care total up to 2,130. 
• Amy Cubbage, Beshear's general counsel, gave a detailed update on unemployment insurance claims filed and pending, $300 payments, Forms 1099, debit cards and fraud reporting. Kentuckians with questions about their 1099 forms can email KYOU1099@ky.gov beginning tomorrow. Further, she said there has been an uptick in fraudulent claims and encouraged both individuals and employers who suspect fraud to email UIFraud@ky.gov.  Click here for more information on this topic in Monday's news release. 
• In Louisville, pandemic restrictions "are stacking up," Sarah Ladd reports for the Courier Journal. Since the late-fall ban indoor dining, Louisville's health department has surveyed hundreds of businesses and "taken enforcement action on more than 300 times during that period, at places ranging from restaurants to gas stations to grocery stores," Ladd writes. "Inspectors have issued warnings, written citations and fined businesses — and they've also provided a sympathetic ear for stressed-out owners." As of Jan. 22, the department had taken 31 enforcement actions so far in 2021, she reports.
• Cres Bride, the co-owner of Joe's Older than Dirt restaurant and bar, which has received four violations since mid-November, told Ladd that in light of November data from the health department that found restaurants were near the bottom of the list for being spreaders of the virus, with workplaces, parties and schools responsible for most, he believes governmental agencies have decided to "persecute one of the least harmful business entities."  
• Louisville testing sites did as many as 45,000 a week in November, but by the second week of January that number dropped to 22,000, Ladd and Deborah Yetter report. The city's health director, Dr. Sarah Moyer, is urging people to get tested, especially if they have any common symptoms of the virus, including fatigue, headache, congestion, runny nose and cough. Some people also lose the sense of taste and smell. Also, she said, if you think you've been exposed to the virus or are around others frequently through work, church, shopping or other reasons, you need to get regularly tested. 
• Moderna's vaccine proved effective against the United Kingdom and South Africa variants of the virus, the drugmaker said in a Jan. 25 news release. However, the company plans to develop a booster shot for the South Africa variant, known as B.1.351, after finding its vaccine produced a weaker response against this strain, Becker's Hospital Review reports.

State records 58 Covid-19 deaths today, a record, but Beshear cites state's low death rate, says more masking may be helping

Gov. Andy Beshear, at top near right, and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, at bottom near left, in a vaccination video with counterparts in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Gov. Andy Beshear announced another record day of Covid-19 deaths on Thursday, 58, and announced that an American flag will be placed on the state Capitol grounds tomorrow in honor of each of the 3,301 Kentuckians who have died with the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

“It is staggering,” Beshear said of the death toll, adding later, "These are all children of God, loved by their family, needed by their community; deeply, deeply missed."

Beshear attributed Thursday's high death count to the recent high number of cases brought on by holiday gatherings, noting that it's important to remember that deaths always follow cases. 

"Take 1 percent of however many cases that we have in a week, and we can expect to have that many deaths three to four weeks afterwards," he said. "It means what we don't do has real consequences. And thus far, it's had at least 3,301 consequences, and that's not even taking into account long-term health effects that we may not see." 

The 58 deaths recorded Thursday, of which 51 were confirmed and seven were probable, pushed the state's seven-day average to 37 and the 14-day average to 32.7, both new highs. Deaths are not recorded until the cases are reviewed by a committee of experts, so death counts reported by local or district health departments run many days ahead of the state count.

Though Kentucky deaths from Covid-19 are likely to set a record this month, Beshear said the state's 1% death rate from the virus is much lower than the rates of the nation and the world.  He said the U.S. death rate is 1.7% and the world's is 2.2%.

“This, I think, is a testament to providing education to Kentuckians about this virus and about what to do if you contract it,” Beshear said. “It’s a testament to our testing program . . . and it is a testament to our health-care workers who have done a better job than the country and the world at keeping our people alive.”

Vaccines: Beshear spent a good bit of the week's last news conference calling on Kentuckians and health-care providers to be patient during the vaccine rollout, saying over and over that demand remains far greater than supply and that there is no way the state can get doses to the 1,500 providers who have registered to administer vaccines. 

"We can't give vaccines we don't have," he said. 

Beshear asked the federal government to double Kentucky's allocation of vaccine on Jan. 19, the last full day of the Trump administration. He said he had not received a response.  

Kentucky is seeing "mass outbreaks" in state prisons in Oldham and Morgan counties, actively infecting most of the inmates in those institutions, John Cheves reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Further, Kentucky ranks fourth among the states for inmate mortality, trailing only New Mexico, Nevada and Michigan, according to The Marshall Project, which researches criminal justice.

  

The state Department of Corrections told Cheves it is monitoring the outbreaks "very closely." Advocates for inmates are calling for vaccines, noting their confinement makes them especially vulnerable.

Asked more than once about the state's plans to vaccinate inmates, Beshear said he is "evaluating" the question but "haven't made a decision there yet." Certainly, he said, prisoners would not go before individuals over 70, K-12 personnel, individuals over 65 and some essential workers in key areas.  

Those groups make up Phase 1B of the rollout. "Right now, we haven't made a decision about prisoners in terms of whether they will or will not be in group 1C," Beshear said. 

The daily vaccine report shows that 250,867 of the 450,175 doses received in Kentucky have been administered, with only 41,788 of them given in long-term care facilities by CVS Health and Walgreens, as part of a vaccination program overseen by the federal government.

The only counties with incidence rates over 100 daily new cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days are in the counties that have prison outbreaks, Oldham and Morgan: 175.8 per 100,000 and 143.8 per 100,000 respectively. 

Daily numbers: The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days is 11.05%. This rate has declined nine of the last 11 days since setting the record of 12.45% on Jan. 10.  

Beshear announced 3,728 new cases of the virus, the lowest Thursday in over four weeks. This brought the seven-day average of new cases to 2,975, the first time it's been below 3,000 since Jan. 5, the day before the single-day case record of 5,742.

Beshear said he was pleased with the decline in cases and praised Kentuckians for what he said seemed to be an uptick in the number of people wearing masks.

"So please everybody, keep doing a good job, keep wearing your mask," he said. "I do think we have seen a real uptick in people wearing masks, and that's a really good thing that may well explain what we're seeing in the numbers right now. So please, everybody keep that up. I'm very proud of what we're seeing on mask wearing right now." 

The Lake Cumberland hospital region continues to report that its intensive care units are is nearly full, at 97.8%. The easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties,  also reports its ICU beds are 89.71% full. The Northern Kentucky region is reporting high numbers of patients overall, 81.14% of bed capacity. 

Peggy Lynn Davis

Beshear honored the life of Peggy Lynn Davis of Ashland, a 67-year-old health-care worker who died Friday of Covid-19. She is survived by her husband, Robert, her three sons, Bobby, JP and Wesley, and her three grandchildren. 

"Her family said Peggy will be remembered as a selfless mother, not just to her family, but to everyone she cared for throughout her life," Beshear said. "Today our thoughts and prayers are with Robert ,Bobby, JP and Wesley, and to them to her entire family, all those grandkids, we are so sorry. It shouldn't have happened. We will all work harder."

In other coronavirus news Thursday:

• The 58 fatalities were an Adair County woman, 99; an Allen County woman, 78; an Allen County man, 64; a Boone County woman, 68; a Caldwell County man, 84; a Campbell County woman, 83; a Carroll County woman, 82; a Carter County man, 72; two Daviess County women, 45 and 82; four Daviess County men, 76, 84, 89 and 92; two Fleming County men, 76 and 81; two Floyd County women, 77 and 91; a Franklin County woman, 89; a Gallatin County woman, 82; a Gallatin County man, 69; a Grayson County man, 71; a Hancock County man, 66; a Hardin County man, 77; a Harlan County woman, 67; a Harlan County man, 64; a Hart County woman, 94; a Henderson County man, 61; a Hopkins County man, 84; seven Jefferson County women, 73, 78, 78, 79, 81, 84 and 91; four Jefferson County men, 31, 64, 88 and 92; three Kenton County women, 75, 77 and 78; a Kenton County man, 85; a Lewis County woman, 89; a Logan County man, 79; a McCracken County man, 93; a McCreary County man, 72; a McLean County man, 88; two Marshall County women, 60 and 91; a Martin County man,73; a Monroe County man, 73; an Ohio County woman, 80; an Oldham County man, 73; a Trigg County woman, 46; a Trigg County man, 86; and a Wayne County woman, 73.
• Counties with more than 10 new cases were Jefferson, 604; Fayette, 230; Kenton, 162; Boone, 143; Hardin, 129; Warren, 126; Daviess, 125; Madison, 112; Campbell and Nelson, 79; Christian, 78; Laurel, 77; Pulaski, 74; Bullitt, 64; Franklin, 58; Oldham, 57; Barren, 52; Scott, 49; Henderson, 48; Jessamine and Knox, 46; McCracken, 44; Boyd, 42; Pike, 40; Shelby, 39; Meade and Whitley, 37; Calloway, 35; Grayson and Montgomery, 34; Marshall, 33; Harlan and Washington, 26; Rowan, 25; Logan, 24; Breckinridge and Graves, 23; Hopkins and Wayne, 22; Clay and Russell, 21; Hart and Ohio, 20; Bell, Boyle, Clark, Larue and Woodford, 19; Taylor, 18; Floyd, Letcher, Marion and Union, 16; Anderson, Carter and Green, 15; Bourbon, McCreary and Todd, 14; Adair and Casey, 13; Carroll, Garrard and Perry, 12; and Bath, Bracken, Estill, Johnson, Morgan and Trigg, 11.
• Kentucky hospitals reported 1,604 patients with Covid-19 Thursday, 395 of them in intensive care and 209 of those on ventilators. 
• In long-term-care facilities, there were 76  new cases among residents and 55 in staff, for a total of 1,009 active resident and 521 active staff cases. Beshear said the state does not have data on the percentage of long-term-care staff who have agreed or declined to be immunized, but would check with Walgreens and CVS for that data.
• Chris Larson of Louisville Business First explores the challenge of getting staff in long-term home facilities vaccinated for the coronavirus, noting that some facilities are requiring staff to get vaccinated and others are offering incentives. Betsy Johnson, the president of Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities, told Larson that she hears that most facilities are offering incentives for their employees to get vaccinated, and that there is a real concern about those who are requiring it. “Workforce has always been a concern of ours,” Johnson said. “We've been very vocal about that. … This workforce issue is at a crisis point. So, if you start dealing with the issues with sticks and that means you’re going to punish people through termination… there’s a concern they would just quit.”
• As part of a state broadband initiative, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman is asking every Kentuckian to take a free, anonymous internet speed test at ewdc.ky.gov/Initiatives/Pages/KBI.aspx before Feb. 18. The test will help the state see which areas don't have access to the internet and which don't have adequate internet speed, information needed as the state moves forward with its next phase in the initiative. People without home wi-fi access are asked to visit a location that offers free internet, to submit notice that their home address has no available service.
• President Joe Biden signed several executive orders dealing with many aspects of the pandemic, The Washington Post reports. "They include the creation of a Pandemic Testing Board that can spur a surge in the capacity for producing coronavirus tests." Other orders will spur research of treatments for covid-19; strengthen collection and analysis of data to inform the government’s response to the crisis; "and direct the federal occupational safety agency to release and enforce guidelines to protect workers from getting infected. Other aspects of the plan are intended to steer more money to states, which have complained they need more funding to carry out the work placed on them for testing, vaccinating residents and other functions," the Post reports. 
• Unauthorized sharing of the University of Kentucky's vaccine invitations leads to a "few hundred" people signing up improperly, Rick Childress reports for the Herald-Leader. UK officials told Childress that those who sign in without an invitation will be removed from the system. 
• Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tackett said that nearly one in four high school basketball games in Kentucky being canceled so far this season because of the virus is good news, because that means schools are following the guidance, Jason Frakes reports for the Louisville Courier Journal. 
• Beshear and Coleman joined governors and lieutenant governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin to encourage people to make a plan for how they can get the coronavirus vaccine once they are eligible. Watch the 2 minute 14 second video message from the governors here: https://youtu.be/Ub35zJ2NEFw.