Beshear says new vaccine is 'game changer' and the end of the pandemic is in sight, but masks and distancing are still needed

Margaret Brennan of CBS News interviewed Gov. Andy Beshear on "Face the Nation" Sunday. By Al Cross Kentucky Health News As a new vaccine was released and the coronavirus and Covid-19 kept waning in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said the end of the pandemic is visible and the third vaccine "is going to be a game-changer." The...

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Bills for local control of tobacco haven't even been assigned to committees, though advocates say they would pass on the floor

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News With less than two weeks left in the 2021 legislative session, bills to let local governments regulate tobacco products are among the many that legislative leaders haven't even assigned to a committee. The bills' sponsors told Kentucky Health News that they think the bills may have been lost in the shuffle of a short session that has to write a budget amid a pandemic, plus severe weather that cost a week.  Sen....

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New virus cases keep going down, but still 10th in U.S.; share of Kentuckians testing positive rises after falling for eight days

New York Times table, adapted by Kentucky Health News By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Cases of the novel coronavirus in Kentucky continued a downward trend Saturday, but the percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus went up slightly. Meanwhile, experts worried that more contagious strains of...

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It's National Children's Dental Health Month, time to think about improving the poor oral health of Kentucky's children

By Stephanie PoynterChair, Kentucky Oral Health Coalition It is no secret that Kentucky has historically had a poor reputation when it comes to our dental health. In a recent study ranking states with the best and worst dental health, the state ranked 41st in the nation in indicators of dental wellness. We have among the lowest...

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Nearly all metrics of the pandemic in Ky. are going the right way, with new single-dose vaccine likely to be approved this weekend

A flag is placed behind the state Capitol for each Kentucky Covid-19 victim. (Photo by Melissa Patrick) By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The good news on a rainy Friday was that nearly all the metrics used to measure the pandemic in Kentucky are down, and the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine will likely...

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Beshear says 119 new vaccine sites will bring total to 410; state's positive-test rate keeps falling; other metrics remain mostly stable

State Department for Public Health map, adapted by Kentucky Health News; click it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Gov. Andy Beshear announced that the state will open 119 new coronavirus vaccination sites next week, bringing the total to 410.  Six of the new locations will be regional sites;...

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Doctors tell patients to 'take their exercise pills' because physical activity is good for your mind, not just for your body

Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist at New York University, gives a TED talk. By Arash Javanbakht Associate professor of psychiatry, Wayne State University Republished from The Conversation As with many other physicians, recommending physical activity to patients was just a doctor chore for me – until a few years ago. That was because I myself was not very active. Over the years, as I picked up boxing and became more active, I got first-hand experience...

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Kentucky's positive coronavirus test rate drops below 6%, but state reports another spike in Covid-19 deaths: 51 listed today

Kentucky Health News graphic; click on it to enlarge By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health NewsThe percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the novel coronavirus dropped below 6 percent for the first time since Oct. 27, to 5.9%, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday.  Beshear often notes that the positive-test...

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Health bills dealing with insulin cost, substance-use disorder and long-term-care staffing pass legislative chambers Tuesday

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Health related bills are on the move in the General Assembly, with several of them passing out of their respective chambers Tuesday.  House bills sent to the Senate include one that would help some Kentuckians with diabetes pay for their life-saving medication, another aimed at decreasing...

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Kentucky Health News is 10 years old; here's more about us

Kentucky Health News entered its 11th year last month. How did it get started? How does it approach its work? What has it learned from its research and outreach? These and other questions were answered Wednesday by Al Cross and Melissa Patrick in a presentation for the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information,...

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Ky. to get more vaccine doses; Beshear recommends more in-person schooling; daily coronavirus metrics improving or stable

State Department for Public Health map, relabeled by Kentucky Health News; click it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Gov. Andy Beshear announced 1,497 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the state's seven-day rolling average to 1,187, up from 1,152 Monday.  Kentucky's rate of new cases...

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Vaccinations will move March 1 to the 1C category: People over 60, those with certain health conditions, and essential workers

Ky. Dept. for Public Health graph, relabeled by Ky. Health News; for a larger version, click on it. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky's regional coronavirus vaccine sites will open March 1 to people in the 1C category, which includes essential workers, people 60 and older and those 16 and older with...

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25% of Ky.'s community-health-center visits are via telehealth; bill would codify some temporary telehealth rules, such as audio visits

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A  bill to codify telehealth provisions that were put into place during the pandemic to temporarily relax some of the regulations has passed out of committee and awaits a hearing in the full House.  Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, who is the co-sponsor of House Bill 140, told...

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