LEXINGTON, Ky. — Out of 120 counties in Kentucky, Fayette County is currently home to the third highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents.
“About 40% of the eligible people for the vaccine have already gotten vaccinated, and that's great but we're still a long way away from that 70% threshold for community immunity that the federal government has talked about.” Kevin Hall with the Lexington Fayette County Health Department said.
What You Need To Know
- Fayette County ranks third in the state in the highest percentage of residents fully vaccinated
- The Lexington Fayette County Health Department is working with community partners to help community members get vaccinated
- The Johnson & Johnson pause has slowed down the demand for appointments in Lexington
- Around 40% of Fayette County residents are vaccinated
Hall said with the pause in the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, the clinic has been struggling to fill their appointments.
“What we've seen is the people who were anxious from the Moderna or any vaccine signed up as soon as those were available. A few months ago with the Johnson & Johnson product, there was a large group of people waiting for that and that's slowed things down because they simply want the one dose,” Hall said.
The CDC reported Fayette county ranking third, below Woodford and Franklin, with the highest percentages of fully vaccinated residents.
Hall said those numbers not only speak to the volunteers and first responders helping during these tough times, but to Lexington residents making a change in their community.
“The fact that we’re in the top three speaks highly to everyone in Lexington, whether it's the people giving the shots, planning the shots, but it's also the people getting the shots. It shows that Lexington was hungry for this and that we need them to spread the word to others,” Hall said.
As they continue to distribute vaccines, Hall said the health department is working with community partners to help with location and language barriers for those in Fayette County who may want the vaccine.
“We know that right now the outreach for African Americans and Hispanic populations anybody who doesn't speak English, and in Fayette County, more than 100 languages are represented so you have people from all across the globe, and we need to be able to reach them where they are and in the language, they're comfortable with, And we're working with many partners to ensure that,” Hall said.
For more information about the weekly vaccination clinic, you can check out the health departments on facebook or at their website.