Gov. Andy Beshear said that his son, Will, tested positive for COVID-19 and is generally asymptomatic, adding that his son is fully vaccinated and recently received his booster shot. The Governor and the rest of the family tested negative for the virus today. The Governor was tested twice today and said he will continue to be tested daily and follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Gov. Beshear joined today’s briefing remotely to provide an update on COVID-19 and tornado relief. He encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated and boosted if they are eligible.
“My son is generally asymptomatic, we believe because he is vaccinated and boosted,” said Gov. Beshear. “In fact, he is shooting basketball right now, by himself. The vaccines and booster truly protected him.”
Governor speaks remotely at press conference.
The Governor said among Kentucky children ages 5 to 11, only 13.3% are fully vaccinated.
“Approximately 25% of new COVID-19 cases reported each day in Kentucky are children. Vaccination provides assurance that children can remain in school and protected against COVID-19,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health. “For parents who have not yet vaccinated your children, I encourage you to talk with your pediatrician. It’s important that you make an informed decision and have confidence that you are taking important steps to keep your children safe from this disease that has caused so much harm to our families and communities.”
COVID-19 Case Information, Vaccinations Update
Number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose in Kentucky: 2,842,876
Number of people who have received their vaccination booster in Kentucky: 1,002,347
Jan. 22, Cases: 13,797
Jan. 22, Deaths: 29
Jan. 23, Cases: 11,648
Jan. 23, Deaths: 25
New Cases Today: 3,912
New Deaths: 22
Today’s Positivity Rate: 33.06%
Current Hospitalizations: 2,326
Current Intensive Care Admittances: 440
Currently on Ventilators: 257
On Jan. 22 (Saturday), Kenton County reported 353 new cases, Boone County 273, and Campbell County 167.
On Jan. 23 (Sunday), Boone County reported 451 new cases, Kenton County 369, and Campbell County 158.
Monday, Kenton County reported 114 new cases, Boone County 92, and Campbell County 71.
During the week ending Jan. 23, Kentucky reported 81,473 new cases, more than 9,000 more cases than the previous record set the week before. Also, during the week ending Jan. 23, Kentucky’s average positivity rate was 33.1%, nearly four points higher than the previous record set the week before.
Kentucky is still setting new records for both COVID-19 test positivity rate and new cases. Total COVID-19 hospitalizations are near the all-time peak during the delta surge and many hospitals in Kentucky are struggling.
So far, for every major strain of this virus, the vaccines have provided very high protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death.
Dr. Stack said for percentage of fully vaccinated people with a booster dose, in both adults 65 and older and adults 18 and older, Kentucky is leading Region 4 and is higher than the national average in both categories.
Dr. Stack added that all of us can help our health care workers and hospital system by not going to an emergency room just to get a COVID test. This overwhelms the emergency care system and makes the situation worse.
