Governor Andy Beshear encouraged all Kentuckians who are eligible Monday to get a COVID-19 vaccine, as the state expanded its vaccine eligibility to those who are 16 and older.
Beshear said the Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine approved for those 16 or older, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccines are only for those 18 or older.
He added it’s good news that Kentucky is ready to move to this phase of vaccine distribution.
As of Monday afternoon, over 1.4 million Kentucky residents have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In other news, Beshear said the state ended a 12-week streak of declining COVID-19 cases last week.
Kentucky added 299 new COVID-19 cases Easter Sunday and 110 new cases Monday. Meanwhile, 9 new COVID-related deaths were announced from both days, and 13 audit deaths were confirmed.
The statewide testing positivity rate fell to 2.9-percent, while the number of COVID tests given throughout the pandemic went above 5 million Monday.
Currently, there are 353 Kentuckians hospitalized with COVID-19, while 97 people remain in the ICU and 46 are on a ventilator.
During Monday’s update, Governor Beshear confirmed Kentucky had 83 total cases of the B.1.1.7 COVID variant, which is the form of the virus that was first discovered in the United Kingdom.
At least one case of the new variant has been confirmed in Christian, Calloway, Hopkins, Logan, and Marshall counties.