Kentucky expects first round of COVID-19 vaccine doses as early as mid-December

Gov. Andy Beshear believes Kentucky will receive its shipment of the Pfizer vaccine as early as mid-December and then hopefully the state will receive the shipment of the Moderna vaccine two weeks later.

Each of the vaccines involves two shots around three weeks apart and need to be stored at cold temperatures, which the state will have to work out logistically. Walgreens and CVS will play a large role in facilitating distribution.

The state will be receiving around 38,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which Kentucky Department of Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack said is around a third of what Kentucky expected to get, so a plan is in place to ensure those who need the vaccine most are first in line.

Approximately 26,000 doses from first shipment will go to long-term care residents and staff as almost 66 percent of the COVID-19 deaths in Kentucky come from those facilities. The rest of that shipment will go to frontline COVID-19 healthcare workers.

As for the Moderna vaccine, Beshear expects the state will get over 70,000 doses, and they are currently deciding how those will be distributed.

Kentucky hospitals have been asked for “tiering” for their staff to determine who gets the vaccine first as there are around 200,000 medical staff members in Kentucky.

Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander recently sat down with The Bottom Line to discuss a vaccine distribution plan and when most Kentuckians could expect to get the vaccine. Watch the interview here.