 Friday, March 5, 2021
Top COVID-19 Takeaways from the Week
LouVax Site Transitioning to Pfizer Vaccine Next Week
 Today, Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage, Associate Medical Director for the Department of Public Health and Wellness, announced the Pfizer vaccine will be distributed through the LouVax site beginning March 10.
Dr. Hartlage said the transition is due to a change in allocation from the state from Moderna to Pfizer. She said LouVax is better equipped to handle the regulatory requirements of the Pfizer vaccine as opposed to smaller health departments in rural counties. LouVax will continue administering Moderna for required booster doses.
For any concerns from individuals that received the Moderna vaccine as their first shot, Dr. Hartlage reassured them they will still receive the Moderna vaccine for their booster shot at LouVax per CDC requirements.
"We have plenty of boosters available for those who received Moderna as their primary shot, she said.
For information on how to schedule appointments CLICK HERE
Here are the key stats for vaccinations in Metro Louisville:
- Citywide, 235,401 total doses have been administered between the LouVax site and its healthcare system community partners, Norton Healthcare, UofL Health and Baptist Health. Of that total number, 85,609 have completed both doses.
- Through its LouVax site, the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness has given 50,848 doses to date.
Next Week, the LouVax site will complete booster shots for educators on Tuesday. Additionally focus for the rest of the week will be getting adults age 60 and up vaccinated.
Norton Healthcare will send LouVax patient info from their waitlist in order to get them more quickly scheduled for the vaccine. Vaccinations of individuals 60 and older will continue to be the focus of vaccinations through April.
Dr. Hartlage announced that Metro Health received its first shipment of the Janssen vaccine Thursday which included 1,500 doses. Because the state has limited supply of the Janssen vaccine, she said focus of those doses will go to specific populations.
"We intend to deploy those 1,500 doses for targeted missions into transient housing, people experiencing homelessness and other relevant groups that are difficult to reach," she said.
Watch the vaccination update from the LouVax site at Broadbent Arena HERE.
Health Officials Encourage Testing and Safety as COVID Decline Continues
 Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage, Associate Medical Director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness said COVID cases continue to decline in the city.
Here are the COVID-19 data metrics for the week of March 5, 2021:
- 1,269 positive cases reported
- 23.6 cases per 100,000 population
Dr. Hartlage said with cases declining for the eighth consecutive week, Louisville is now at alert level orange for the first time since October with an incidence rate of 23.6 cases per 100,000 population.
Still, Dr. Hartlage emphasized that now isn't the time for residents and community members to fall into complacency with our safety efforts as the rate of testing has dipped locally in recent weeks.
She encouraged everyone to wear masks, practice social distancing and to wash their hands as often as possible.
Additionally, Dr. Hartlage said individuals should get tested at least once a week if they are leaving the house to go to work, the grocery store, traveling or any other activity.
"As long as we have cases, we'll continue to have hospitalized patients and patients at risk of dying from this disease. "Every one of these patients is somebody's husband, mother, family member or loved one. We need to keep up our defenses."
To view the weekly COVID update with city and public health officials CLICK HERE. For information on where to get tested for COVID-19 in Louisville CLICK HERE.
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