FRANKFORT, Ky. – On Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced all Kentuckian 50 and older can sign up for COVID-19 vaccination appointments on or after March 22.
He said all Kentuckians ages 16 and older will be able to sign up for appointments by April 12.
“Kentuckians deemed most vulnerable should still get priority, and they will, but we can’t have these vaccines sitting in a freezer. We are in a race against the COVID-19 variants and we’ve got to get it out fast,” said Gov. Beshear.
The Governor also announced three new regional vaccination locations today, raising the state’s total number of vaccination sites to 570.
The new locations are:
- Cardinal Stadium: 2800 S. Floyd St., Louisville, KY 40209
- Starting March 31, Kentuckians can schedule appointments that begin April 12 by calling 502-681-1435 or visiting uoflhealth.org.
- This will become Kentucky’s largest COVID-19 vaccination site, vaccinating up to 4,000 people per day while vaccine supplies continues to be available.
“The UofL Health-Cardinal Stadium regional vaccination site is an extension of our commitment to make COVID-19 vaccines accessible to all,” said UofL Health Chief Medical Officer Jason Smith, MD, PhD. “In addition to 4,000 vaccinations projected to be provided daily at Cardinal Stadium, we will continue partnering with churches for vaccinations in underserved neighborhoods and operate three other drive-thru locations.”
- Whitney Young Elementary: 3526 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40212
- Starting today, individuals who live in West Louisville can go to NortonHealthcare.com to register for vaccination appointments that begin April 1 at this location.
- For people who need assistance with the registration process, Humana and Norton Healthcare (partners managing the site) will soon announce a toll-free number for scheduling appointments. This number will be intended for use by people who live in West Louisville.
“We are proud to be a part of this important initiative,” said Russell F. Cox, Norton Healthcare president and CEO. “Partnering with Humana and Jefferson County Public Schools – organizations that share a commitment to ensuring equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines – aligns with our intent in establishing Norton Healthcare’s Institute for Health Equity. We’re grateful for the leadership Gov. Beshear and his team continue to provide during this pandemic.”
“It’s an honor for Humana to partner with Norton Healthcare, JCPS, the commonwealth of Kentucky and organizations in the community to establish this critical vaccination effort in West Louisville,” said William Shrank, M.D., Humana’s Chief Medical Officer. “We are working hard in the West End and across the country to ensure more equitable distribution of the vaccine. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Black Americans, and vaccination rates to date are the lowest for Black and Hispanic populations. We are focused on addressing this and look forward to opening the vaccination site in West Louisville soon.”
- Kentucky Dam Village Convention Center: 113 Administration Drive, Gilbertsville, KY 42044
- Vaccination appointments will begin to be filled March 24, but Kentuckians can pre-register now at kyvax.com/kydam or call 859-217-4679.
- When someone pre-registers, they will receive an invitation to sign up for an appointment once one becomes available.
- Multiple partners are helping stand up and manage this site: the University of Kentucky, Wild Health, the Marshall County Health Department and Kentucky State Parks.
“We are the University for Kentucky,” noted Joe Monroe, the university’s police chief. “The ongoing testing program that we are conducting, in partnership with the state and Wild Health, is another example of how our campus is the commonwealth. We are proud to be part of the team of partners who are meeting this moment for our state during this challenging time.”
Dr. Luke Murray, Wild Health’s director of COVID-19 operations, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of what the University of Kentucky and Marshall County Health Department are doing at Kentucky Dam Village. It is my hope that our experience offering almost 2,000 vaccines per day at UK will make us maximally useful to the citizens of the area. This opportunity in Western Kentucky allows us to apply knowledge we’ve gained from performing over a quarter-million tests at 70 sites across the state to ultimately help provide the smoothest, most pleasant patient experience possible.”
“Our cabinet continues to play an active role in the state’s efforts to ensure vaccinations are available to Kentuckians in all 120 counties,” said Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Mike Berry. “Kentucky State Parks offer an accessible location for public health officials to distribute vaccinations in rural areas and ensure all Kentuckians have the necessary tools to defeat COVID-19.”
Kentuckians can find a map of all regional vaccination sites, as well as lists of additional sites in stores and independent pharmacies here.
Free Round-Trip Transportation to Vaccine Appointments Expand
Today, Gov. Beshear said three additional transportation providers – Scottsville Transit, the Owensboro Transit System and the Murray-Calloway Transit Authority – are now offering free rides to and from vaccination sites.
Unemployment Insurance Update
Today, Amy Cubbage, general counsel for Gov. Beshear, updated Kentuckians on unemployment insurance (UI).
New Log-In and Home Screen
A new, more secure and user-friendly UI log-in and home screen will launch tomorrow. All users will need to start with the “Log in” to get started with the new registration process. The Kentucky Career Center home page will have information and a tutorial video about the new registration process.
Waiver for Returning Overpayments
Cubbage said Gov. Beshear signed Senate Bill 7, which provides a waiver option for Kentuckians who received requests to return UI overpayments. Unemployment insurance claimants who were notified that they were overpaid can appeal that determination first. If those overpayment determinations are not overturned on appeal, claimants can seek a waiver.
“The Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance is reviewing the language in SB 7 and will be working with U.S. Department of Labor federal guidance in order to implement the new waiver program as quickly as possible,” said Cubbage.
Bank of America Debit Card Balances
Finally, Cubbage said claimants now have until March 31 to spend balances on Bank of America debit cards. If claimants have funds remaining on their card after that time, OUI will send them a paper check with that balance.
Bar and Restaurant Curfew Extension
Today, Gov. Beshear said he is extending the curfew on bars and restaurants by one hour. Businesses can now serve food and drinks until 12 a.m. local time and can stay open until 1 a.m. local time.
Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Thursday, March 18, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:
New cases today: 785
New deaths today: 448
Positivity rate: 3.23%
Total deaths: 5,504
Currently hospitalized: 449
Currently in ICU: 110
Currently on ventilator: 57
Top counties with the most positive cases today are Jefferson, Fayette and Simpson. Each county reported at least 35 new cases.
To see a list of those reported lost to the virus today, click here.
Gov. Beshear explained the state reported record deaths today because 417 of those deaths were determined to have been caused by COVID-19 after an additional death certificate audit. When Ohio conducted the same type of audit, they reported 4,000 additional deaths; Indiana reported more than 1,500 additional deaths after this type of audit.
“The way that we normally get our information on deaths is through local health departments. We then check the information, make sure it is a COVID-19 death – it goes through a committee – and then it moves onto our report. That’s why sometimes local health departments will report a death earlier than we do.
“There are some deaths we receive that we determine are not a COVID-19 death. Our commitment is first to be accurate, but second, to make sure that there are no unknown soldiers, that we account for every single individual we’ve lost and we recognize every single grieving family. So what we have done is we have pulled every death certificate from November to the end of January that lists COVID-19. We have then compared those to what we have reported, what came up from the local health departments.
“For those who we don’t have a report for, we then see if there is a positive COVID-19 test we can connect their case to. With those, where we know the individual had it, we then look at the documentation in the same way that we would if it came up through the local health department.”
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. Kentucky’s vaccine map lists regional vaccination partners statewide, so individuals can search their county or region and see how to schedule an appointment. Below the vaccine map, Kentuckians can find additional vaccination sites at Kroger, Walmart and Walgreens stores, as well as independent pharmacies.
Kentucky’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline, 855-598-2246 or TTY 855-326-4654 (for deaf or hard-of-hearing Kentuckians), has the same features as the website. Kentuckians can get assistance completing the vaccine eligibility questionnaire and scheduling an appointment when doses are available. The hotline is available 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.
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.
Deadline to File State Taxes Extended to Match New Federal Deadline
Today, Gov. Beshear said the state income tax filing deadline for individuals has been extended to May 17. Individual taxpayers can postpone Kentucky individual income tax payments for the 2020 tax year due April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021, without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed. Individual taxpayers unable to meet the May 17 return filing deadline may request an automatic extension to file calendar year returns by Oct. 15.
This relief does not apply to 2021 estimated tax payments that are due on April 15, 2021. It also does not apply to the corporate income tax, pass-through entities income tax, limited liability entity tax, withholding tax, sales and use tax, or other types of state taxes.
This decision mirrors the federal individual income tax relief provisions issued March 17 by the IRS in response to COVID-19. To learn more, see the full release.
Matalco Inc. Establishing Its First Kentucky Facility
Today, Gov. Beshear announced Ontario, Canada-based Matalco Inc. is establishing its first Kentucky facility. The $53.5 million operation in Franklin will create 60 quality job opportunities. Company leaders expect the facility to be fully operational in 2022, with capacity to produce 270 million pounds of aluminum annually. To learn more, see the full release.
“Thank you Matalco for this commitment to the commonwealth, and welcome to the commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’re proud to partner with you in our shared effort to create a brighter future for Kentuckians.”
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Plant Assembles 13 Millionth Car
The Governor congratulated Toyota and the workforce at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) plant in Georgetown for reaching a milestone this week when their 13-millionth vehicle rolled off the assembly line.
“As many of you know, TMMK has been an integral part of Kentucky’s success story since before production began in 1988,” said Gov. Beshear. “I can’t overstate the importance of Toyota’s Georgetown campus for Kentucky’s economy, for employment, workforce training and quality wages. The 1,300-acre Georgetown campus, Toyota’s first plant in North America, represents an $8 billion investment and employs over 10,000 Kentuckians.”
Toyota Kentucky is recognizing this achievement and others expected this year with a commitment of $1.3 million to further STEM education and workforce development programs across the commonwealth. These funds will engage diverse and under-resourced youth by exposing them to great manufacturing career opportunities.
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.