LEXINGTON, Ky. — Like many areas around the state, Lexington is working to distribute COVID-19 vaccines as quickly as possible. With Kentuckians in phase 1C being accepted starting on Monday, officials hope more people will be willing to get vaccinated and do their part in the community. 

“We have been extremely proactive through this whole thing, and the state, the health department. The city has been very careful to follow the CDC guidelines and not jump the line,” Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said.

Gorton and many other city officials gathered Thursday morning to discuss COVID-19 vaccination plans moving forward. Chuck Mix with the Vaccine Task Force said Fayette County and many other areas around the state could see an increase in available vaccines during the upcoming weeks. 

“The vaccine quantities will increase. I believe that the manufacturers have improved their process. In the last 30 days or so Pfizer has cut in half the time it takes for them to produce their vaccine so they're really ramping up the volume of production and moderna as well,” Mix said.

Mix said over the last ten weeks, Fayette County has been able to distribute over 119,000 vaccines, and with the increase, the city will need more volunteers from the community to help distribute the vaccinations quickly.

Kevin Hall with the Lexington Fayette County Health Department said many people in Lexington who were hesitant about the vaccination are now making appointments to get their shots.

“What we are seeing at the department, this happened just this past week somebody in phase One A, health care, they decided they wanted to get the vaccine because their co workers got it, the co workers had great things to say about it, and they wanted to go ahead and get it. So that’s the wait and see from people,” Hall said.

Lexington's Health Department also said anyone who is in phases 1A or 1B should consider scheduling their vaccination appointment quickly before 1C is allowed on Monday.

“A third of the population, a third of the adult population, maybe around 80,000 people are considered 1C. So if you know people who are 1B or 70 and above, particularly those who have been on the fence, now is the time to start reaching out to get those appointments," Hall said. "Because once it opens to 1C, even though priority was still being given to those 1B, so many people in 1C will be getting an appointment, and times will be harder to come by."

Anyone interested in volunteering in Fayette County can find more information on Lexington's COVID-19 Vaccine Website.