Although most Kentucky counties are still seeing high incidence rates of COVID-19, overall cases have declined significantly in recent weeks. On Monday, the state’s positivity rate was 8.56%. In January, the positivity rate reached more than 30%.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday that masking in state offices will be optional beginning Tuesday, March 1. But some agencies will still be required to wear them.
“Those are groups like the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, nursing homes, Department of Corrections, our correctional institutions, or psychiatric hospitals under the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and immediate care facilities, agencies providing food, beverage and housekeeping services, and other congregate settings as determined by an agency under the appointing authority to our state employees,” Beshear said.
New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention masking guidance was released last Friday. The CDC recommends that communities with high levels of COVID-19 spread continue to mask in public.
Beshear said vaccination rates have also declined.
“Our vaccination numbers are dropping about as quickly as the virus itself,” he said. “Just under 1,400 People getting vaccinated for the first time over the weekend — that is really low — less than 2,500 people getting boosted.”
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said with the new masking changes, people need to get vaccinated — especially school-aged children. Stack said there’ve now been 100 cases of multi-inflammatory syndrome in children reported in Kentucky.
“The reason I share this is not because it is overly common, but because there should not be any children who die from this condition, period,” he said. “And there should not be hardly any children who get it because more and more evidence is showing that the vaccines prevent this in large measure.”
The condition usually presents two to six weeks after kids are infected with COVID, Stack said. The disease also requires kids to be hospitalized.
The state announced additional changes to COVID-19 measures. Starting next week, COVID-19 statistics will switch from being updated daily to weekly.
