Gov. Andy Beshear said Kentucky had the highest weekend COVID case count in at least four weeks and urged more Kentuckians to get their vaccinations and boosters heading into the holidays.
During his weekly COVID update Monday, Beshear reported 2,048 news cases and 42 new deaths Saturday, 1,018 new cases and 15 new deaths Sunday.
The positivity rate is 6.56%, up about a percent and a half since last week.
“What this ought to tell us is this pandemic isn't done with us, and our goal is to not be in this position,” Beshear said.
“As tired as we are of COVID, we cannot pretend it’s not still with us.”
He also pointed to Europe where COVID cases are “increasing significantly and fast,” especially among the unvaccinated, with colder weather and the spread of the delta variant.
“Our goal is to not be in [that] position,” he said.
More than 19,500 Kentucky residents received their first dose of a vaccine over the weekend, and more than 500,000 have already received their booster shots.
Since federal approval earlier this month, 32,774 Kentucky children have received their first shots. That’s more than double the number reported a week ago.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health reported that as of Friday, there were 778 people hospitalized for COVID in Kentucky -- 203 in the ICU and 104 on ventilators.
