Although 60 percent of all Kentuckians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, that’s not enough, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

At least 2,682,277 Kentuckians have been vaccinated: 64 percent of all Kentuckians five and older, and 72 percent of all Kentuckians 18 and older, he said.

“I want to acknowledge that 60 percent of Kentuckians vaccinated is not enough, but this has never been done in the history of the world before,” Beshear said Thursday. “It hasn’t even been a year since the first vaccines were shipped out, and we’ve got 60 percent of every man, woman, and child who lives in this state vaccinated. We need to be proud of that accomplishment and use it as motivation to keep going.”

Dr. Steven Stack, the commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said the COVID-19 omicron variant has now been identified in the United States. At least two cases of the variant have been reported, but it has not yet been found in Kentucky. Stack said he is working with local health departments and labs to identify suspected cases as quickly as possible. The variant has several genetic changes. Research is underway to determine if these changes impact transmissibility, severity, immunity, and treatments.

“The question is: What is the impact and what do we do about it? It is important to be careful and concerned but it is not a time to panic,” said Stack. “We have much better tools than when this pandemic started – the future is not outside our control.”

The Governor and Dr. Stack said it is more important than ever to: Get vaccinated and boosted (all Kentucky adults are eligible to receive a vaccination booster); wear a mask in indoor public settings; get tested after experiencing symptoms; and stay home when sick.

Even with the number of Kentuckians becoming vaccinated on the rise, so is the number of cases. On Thursday, the state reported 2,841 new cases with a positivity rate of 9.2 percent, well above the 5 percent target rate, last seen in late October.

The latest numbers available for the local area show the five-county Buffalo Trace region following the state-wide trend with increasing numbers of cases. They include:

The latest case numbers available for the area include:

Mason County — 3,126 total cases, 95 active, 74 deaths.

Robertson County — 438 total cases, 26 active, 16 deaths.

Bracken County — 1,382 total cases, 48 active, 17 deaths.

Lewis County — 2,876 total cases, 85 active cases, 60 deaths.

Fleming County — 2,356 total cases, 20 active, 40 deaths.

Adams County, Ohio — 4,547 total cases, 109 deaths.

Brown County, Ohio — 7,101 total cases, 115 deaths.

The five BTADD counties remain in the red zone.