As case numbers and positive-test rate rise, and Derby looms, Beshear cautions, 'Mask up when you're inside or in large groups'

State Dept. for Public Health map, relabeled by Ky. Health News; to enlarge, click on it. By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Heading into Kentucky Derby weekend, a time for gatherings, the state is seeing more new cases of the coronavirus and a higher positive-test rate. “I hope all Kentuckians enjoy Oaks today and...

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FDA announces plan to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes and all flavored cigars within the next year; likely to be a long process

Menthol cigarettes (New England Public Media photo) By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The Food and Drug Administration announced a plan Thursday to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes and all flavored cigars within the next year. The proposed ban is likely the beginning of a long process that could take years to...

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As coronavirus vaccines keep falling short of goals in Kentucky, businesses step up with incentives to nudge Kentuckians along

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Coronavirus vaccination rates in Kentucky remain slow, with only 9,504 shots given yesterday, and only 12% of the state's available shots given in the vaccine-reporting week that began Tuesday.   Gov. Andy Beshear's daily press release reported 1,751,541 Kentuckians had received...

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Coronavirus vaccinations and cases continue to slow in Kentucky

Dept. for Public Health map, relabeled by Kentucky Health News; for a larger version, click on it. By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Vaccinations for the coronavirus in Kentucky continue to slow, with the state reporting only 9,246 additional Kentuckians getting their first dose of vaccine since yesterday's report. That...

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New federal guidelines will let almost all providers prescribe buprenorphine for opioid-use disorder, a boon to rural Kentucky

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that it will allow most medical providers to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid-use disorder without being trained and getting a waiver. "For years, many addiction physicians and public health advocates have argued that the 'X-waiver,' as the special buprenorphine license is known, poses a barrier to basic care for patients with opioid addiction," Lev Facher reports for Stat....

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Vaccination demand plummets for second week in a row; state used only 39% of the vaccine doses it received last week

Kentucky Health News chart, state Department for Public Health data By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Kentucky used less than 40 percent of the coronavirus vaccine doses it received in the last week, and the number of vaccinations declined for the second week in a row. Those numbers stood out more than those on the...

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Beshear lifts outdoor mask mandate, says 'We will probably do things more incrementally;' Johnson & Johnson vaccine returns

State Department for Public Health chart, relabeled by Kentucky Health News; click on it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News With all of the coronavirus metrics on a plateau in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that starting Tuesday, the state will no longer require masks at outdoor events or venues...

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Ky. is a regional leader in vaccinations, but some rural counties lag far behind, and public-health officials blame misinformation

Photos by Liam Niemeyer, Ohio Valley Resource Kentucky is a regional leader in immunization for the coronavirus, but vaccinations are slowing and many of Kentucky's counties lag behind the national rate, not just the state rate. Reporters from Ohio Valley Resource, a consortium of public radio stations in Kentucky...

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More than ever, numbers show a pandemic plateau, tilting down

Kentucky Health News graph shows state-reported data for the last seven months. By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Is this the definition of a pandemic plateau, one with a slight downward tilt? The state reported 325 new cases of the coronavirus Sunday. That was 50 more than last Sunday, but also exactly the average...

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Study in West Virginia finds rural users of electronic cigarettes are older, and often sicker, than their urban counterparts

E-cigarettes are called "vapes," for vapor, but make aerosols. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention graphic) A new study out of West Virginia University says rural users of electronic cigarettes are older, and often get sicker, than their urban counterparts. The study, published in Hospital Practice, looked...

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Kentucky reports 33 more Covid-19 deaths; Beshear urges Kentuckians to get vaccinated in their honor

Gov. Andy Beshear looking at the flags on the state Capitol grounds   that represent Kentuckians lost to Covid-19. Facebook photo.  By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As the key metrics used to measure the coronavirus in Kentucky continue to plateau, Gov. Andy Beshear reminds Kentuckians that people...

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Ex-Gov. Beshear 1 of 7 on Opioid Crisis Task Force formed by Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank

Steve Beshear Photo from Bipartisan Policy Center By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Former Gov. Steve Beshear is one of seven members of the Bipartisan Policy Center's new Opioid Crisis Task Force, tasked by the Washington, D.C., think tank with finding evidence-based recommendations to drive down drug-overdose...

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Vaccinations in Ky. keep slowing; FEMA to open sites in London, Henderson next week; one-dose vaccine likely to return soon

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine carries the Janssen brand name. (New York Times photo by Bryan Anselm) By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Kentucky continued to make slow progress against the coronavirus Friday, as most measures of the pandemic declined slightly and the number of Kentuckians who have received at least...

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Reaching people where they are is the goal of a Lexington town hall meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday about coronavirus vaccines

Photo from Delaware.gov By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As coronavirus vaccinations have slowed recently, Gov. Andy Beshear has called on local leaders and  businesses to engage with their communities to encourage Kentuckians to get a shot, and a group of such influencers are doing just that in Lexington.  At...

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