Vaccines now available for all 16 and older

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

COVID-19 vaccines are now available for all Kentuckians 16 years and older.

Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday that Kentucky had “beaten by a full month” President Joe Biden’s goal and timeline for all Americans 16 and older to have access to the vaccines.

“These vaccines are our ticket out of this pandemic,” Beshear said. “They are not only safe; they are saving lives.”

The Pfizer vaccine is approved for individuals 16 and older, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved for individuals 18 and older.

Beshear said more than 1.438 million Kentuckians have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose so far. County-specific data is not yet available.

Beshear and Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, shared new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that fully vaccinated Americans can safely travel domestically. Updated travel guidance will be posted on kycovid19.ky.gov soon.

“We all need to get vaccinated as soon as we can so fewer variants have the opportunity to form,” Stack said. “We’ve got to stay vigilant. Wear your masks, wash your hands, socially distance and get vaccinated when it’s your turn.”

Vaccines are available at local health departments and other locations in the Big Sandy region. Those locations, according to the Team Kentucky website, include:

• Lawrence County: Lawrence County Community Center and Walgreens Pharmacy in Louisa.

• Johnson County: Walgreens and Walmart in Paintsville.

• Floyd County: Highlands ARH Medical Center in Prestonsburg, ARH Our Lady of the Way in Martin, McDowell ARH Hospital, and Walgreens in Prestonsburg and Martin.

• Martin County: Walgreens.

A total of 89 new coronavirus cases were reported in Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd and Martin counties between Tuesday, March 30, and Monday, April 5.

New positive cases included 20 in Lawrence County, 12 in Johnson County, 49 in Floyd County and eight in Martin County.

Active cases Monday were 28 in Lawrence County, 19 in Johnson County, 65 in Floyd County and 22 in Martin County.

Total cases since the pandemic began include 1,345 in Lawrence County, 2,064 in Johnson County, 3,205 in Floyd County and 995 in Martin County.

Lawrence County’s number of new cases last Thursday — 14 — moved the county back into the red zone, but it changed to orange on Monday.

Incidence rates on Monday were 19.6 in Lawrence County, 3.9 in Johnson County, 18.5 in Floyd County and 8.9 in Martin County.

Johnson and Martin counties were yellow-zone counties on Monday, while Floyd County was in the orange.

Johnson County had four days with no positive cases last week, accounting for its low incidence rate.