FRANKFORT, Ky. — On Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear said a record 127,110 Kentuckians were vaccinated during the past week, breaking the previous record of 112,428 vaccinations set the week before.
“We are really ramping up to meet the moment and we are going to achieve this goal the President set of having a vaccine available for any Kentucky adult who wants one by the end of May,” said Gov. Beshear.
The Governor also said the state’s positivity rate has dropped to 3.94%, the lowest rate since Sept. 21.
First Lady Britainy Beshear announced Ford Motor Co. has donated 1 million masks to Kentucky schools, with a commitment to donate an additional 500,000 masks in the coming weeks.
“We are so close to beating this virus and continuing our path forward to becoming a stronger Kentucky,” said First Lady Beshear. “While declining case numbers and three effective vaccines are great news as more students return to in-person classes, we must remain vigilant in our fight against this virus, with safety as a top priority. Thank you to Ford for thinking of our schools and for being such a great partner to Team Kentucky.”
Kentucky’s Department for Public Health and Department of Education will distribute these 1.5 million masks to school districts.
In August, First Lady Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman launched the Coverings for Kids donation program to help supply Kentucky’s schools with masks for students, teachers and support staff.
Ford’s gift adds to the 320,000 masks already donated to Coverings for Kids by Kentuckians, community groups, local businesses and more.
The gift also adds to Ford’s notable history of generosity to Kentuckians: In September, Ford donated 2 million face masks to Kentucky’s PPE stockpile, one of the largest gifts of PPE ever received in the commonwealth.
“Ford is honored to provide Kentucky with child-sized face masks during this critical point as children transition back to school,” said Matt Godlewski, vice president of U.S. government relations, Ford Motor Co. “We value our partnership with the commonwealth and are grateful to play a role in its commitment to protect Kentuckians against COVID-19.”
The Governor said tomorrow he will visit King’s Daughters Medical Center’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic near Ashland. Later in the day, he will view flood damage and hold a press conference on the state’s disaster response in Hazard.
Stratus Plastics to Create 135 Jobs at Morgantown Manufacturing Plant
The First Lady said Stratus Plastics International, a producer of injection-molded parts for motor vehicles, appliances and consumer goods, will create 40 jobs while immediately expanding production at its Morgantown facility, with the potential for a total of 135 new positions in the years to come. To learn more, see the full release.
Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:
New cases today: 880
New deaths today: 21
Positivity rate: 3.94%
Total deaths: 4,850
Currently hospitalized: 551
Currently in ICU: 147
Currently on ventilator: 81
Top counties with the most positive cases today are Jefferson, Fayette, Laurel and Kenton. Each county reported at least 30 new cases.
To see a list of those reported lost to the virus today, click here.
Kentucky’s COVID-19 Vaccine Website, vaccine.ky.gov, shows Kentuckians which phase they are in specifically. Individuals can sign up for notifications so state officials can communicate with them when doses become available at new and existing sites. Vaccine.ky.gov also lists regional vaccination partners statewide, so Kentuckians can search their county or region and see how to schedule an appointment.
Kentucky’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline, 855-598-2246, has the same features as the website. Kentuckians can get assistance completing the vaccine eligibility questionnaire and scheduling an appointment when doses are available.
Free or reduced-cost transportation to and from vaccine appointments is offered by public transit agencies across the commonwealth. These services are already operating in over 90 counties, covering 75% of all counties across Kentucky. Kentuckians can find transportation services near them by heading to kycovid19.ky.gov for a full list of participating public transit agencies and their phone numbers, or by calling the Kentucky COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline.
More Information
To view the full daily report, incidence rate map, information on testing locations, vaccines, contact tracing, school reports and guidance, guidance for health care providers and the White House Coronavirus Task Force reports for Kentucky and more, visit kycovid19.ky.gov.