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FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 6, 2021) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear said as COVID-19 cases rise in Kentucky, across the United States and in many countries throughout the world, families must get vaccinated and boosted to stay safe over the holiday season.
“We are certainly in the middle of another COVID-19 escalation. But we have more tools to stop this in its tracks than ever before,” said Gov. Beshear. “The great news is, we saw more vaccinations over this last weekend than we have seen in a long time, in every stage of the vaccination process. This is how we fight back against this virus.”
Over the past weekend alone, 45,137 Kentuckians received a booster, 15,117 received their first dose and 18,189 got fully vaccinated.
The Governor encouraged Kentuckians to stay safe this holiday season by taking the following steps:
- Get a COVID-19 vaccination;
- Get a vaccination booster (all Kentucky adults are now eligible for a booster);
- Stay home and avoid gatherings if sick;
- Wear masks if indoors and unvaccinated and/or not boosted, and
- Keep gatherings small.
The Governor also outlined new guidelines for international air travel. All travelers age two and older who are returning to the U.S.:
- Must show proof of a negative COVID-19 viral test performed within one day of departure;
- Should get tested three to five days after return;
- Should self-isolate and get tested if they develop any symptoms, and
- All unvaccinated travelers should quarantine for seven days.
COVID-19 Case Information, Vaccinations Update Number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose in Kentucky: 2,703,247
Number of people who have received a vaccination booster in Kentucky: 640,061
Dec. 4, Cases: 2,350 Dec. 4, Deaths: 67 Dec. 5, Cases: 1,194 Dec. 5, Deaths: 68
New Cases Today: 1,347 New Deaths: 63 Today’s Positivity Rate: 9.13% Current Hospitalizations: 1,077 Current Intensive Care Admittances: 310 Currently on Ventilators: 168
During the week ending Dec. 5, 15,936 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Kentucky, and the average test positivity rate was 8.79%.
Learn more about omicron and other variants
What is the omicron variant?
Omicron is a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. The omicron variant has been detected in a growing number of countries, including the U.S.
Are the vaccines effective against this variant?
Studies are underway to answer that question. While it is possible that current vaccines may be less effective against the omicron variant, vaccine availability is limited in many African countries, and South African officials are reporting that most of the people there who are sick due to the omicron variant were not vaccinated. Vaccines remain widely available in the U.S. and the omicron variant is yet another reason to get vaccinated and get a booster if you are eligible.
Is omicron as serious a health risk as other variants? Is it more or less contagious?
Health officials are collecting data to be able to answer these questions. In the meantime, it is important to remember that any coronavirus infection can be life threatening especially in people with underlying medical conditions. The best way to prevent the spread of this new variant or any other variant is to get vaccinated, get a booster if you are eligible, and to wear a mask in indoor public settings or in a crowded environment. In most places, masking is also required for air, train and bus travel and other forms of public transportation.
Courtesy of Public Health Communications Collaborative
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