Trigg County Hospital was selected to oversee one of six new regional COVID-19 vaccination sites in the state announced Thursday by Governor Andy Beshear.
Hospital Director of Marketing Lori Blakeley said they will receive 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine during the initial week of the regional clinic, which they hope is next week. She said that the total is expected to be increased to 300 a week and given at the Trigg County Recreation Complex.
click to download audioOn Tuesday, the hospital will hand out second doses for those who were originally scheduled to get them on February 11. After that, Blakeley said they hope to start handing out first doses, as soon as they receive them.
click to download audioShe said they will continue to prioritize Phase 1B of the vaccinations, which include those 70 or older, first responders, K-12 school personnel, and childcare providers.
Anyone wanting to get a vaccination from Trigg County Hospital must be a Kentucky resident and provide proof of residency.
When it comes time to making appointments, Blakeley said they will announce soon when appointments can be scheduled through the Trigg County Primary Care Clinic.
In addition to Trigg County Hospital, regional sites were announced in Ohio County and Crittenden County. The state also announced vaccination sites in Princeton, Hanson, and Russellville through partnerships with Wal-Mart, and a new site with Kroger was announced in Madisonville.
Eastern Kentucky has twice as many regional vaccination locations as western Kentucky. When asked about this Thursday by the News Edge, Governor Andy Beshear said the number of vaccines are going to equal parts of the state even if there aren’t as many locations to get a shot.
click to download audioBefore Thursday, only 15 western Kentucky Kroger locations were offering a vaccine out of 114 stores statewide. There are Walgreens stores in 96 Kentucky cities but only 17 in western Kentucky. The governor said the state asked the federal government to increase the number of sites through the local community pharmacy program that added 15 sites in western Kentucky.
click to download audioBeshear said starting next week there will be 291 sites in the state where a person can receive a COVID-19 vaccine, including 51 regional sites.
click to download audioOne of the first regional sites in the state was through the Christian County Health Department at the Bruce Convention Center. They give out 800 vaccines weekly at the regional site in addition to another 200 at the health department. As of Wednesday, the health department has vaccinated over 5,300 people.
