Vaccinate U? Contrary To Health Advice, Most Area Schools Won’t Mandate COVID Vaccine
Roughly a million students attend college around the Ohio Valley, and the student-age population has an especially high rate of coronavirus infection. That’s why some public health advocates say schools should require that students be vaccinated. However, a review by the Ohio Valley ReSource found that of 400 colleges and universities in Kentucky, Ohio, and […]
Kentucky’s Mask Mandate Won’t Be Required At Outdoor Events With Fewer Than 1,000 People
Beginning Tuesday, Kentucky’s mask mandate will no longer apply to outdoor events with fewer than 1,000 people. Gov. Andy Beshear said masks will still be required indoors at restaurants, grocery stores and workplaces. New cases of COVID-19 have decreased since last week. Beshear reported 213 new cases on Monday and 11 deaths. The positivity rate […]
Vaccine Hesitancy Hovers Over Ohio Valley Efforts To Get To Herd Immunity
Phyllis Gibbs wasn’t sure until recently that she’d be here, just a few moments away from receiving a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. “Do you feel sick today?” “Nope,” Gibbs said to the receptionist. “And you give consent for Pfizer to give you a shot today, correct?” “Absolutely.” Gibbs then walked over to one of […]
Biden Administration Releases Drug Control Policy Priorities After Deadliest Year For Overdoses
The Biden administration released its first set of drug policy priorities Thursday after overdose deaths hit record numbers during the pandemic. Office of National Drug Control Policy Acting Director Regina LaBelle discussed the office’s seven priorities, beginning with expanding access to drug treatment services. “We’ll do this by expanding access to quality treatment and medications […]
Kentucky Opens COVID-19 Vaccinations To Everyone Over 16 Beginning April 5
Beginning Monday, April 5, everyone over age 16 will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination in Kentucky. Gov. Andy Beshear made the announcement during a press conference Wednesday and said the state is on track to meet President Biden’s goal of 200 million shots by his 100th day in office. “This is a good day, […]
Kentucky Changes Its Vaccine Policy After Questions About Prioritizing People With Disabilities
UPDATE: After this story was published, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear addressed the vaccine status for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during his coronavirus briefing on Monday, March 22. “To clarify questions that were asked last week, all individuals with intellectual or behavioral conditions are eligible to get the vaccine in 1c right now, and […]
While Battling Coronavirus, Kentucky Also Monitoring People Who’ve Traveled To Countries With Ebola Outbreaks
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the state is monitoring about a dozen people who’ve travelled to countries with outbreaks of Ebola. Beshear made the announcement during his coronavirus briefing Tuesday. Eleven people in Kentucky have traveled to either the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Guinea — both countries experiencing Ebola outbreaks. Beshear said health […]
A Pandemic Year: See How COVID-19 Spread In The Ohio Valley
The past year inflicted devastating pain across the Ohio Valley as more than 25,000 people in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia died due to COVID-19 and more than 1.5 million people contracted the virus. Low-income families, women and people of color bore an unequal brunt of the economic challenges caused by the shutdowns, more so […]
Prisoners And The Pandemic: A Year Into COVID, Crowded Jails Fuel Infections In Ohio Valley
When the first coronavirus cases were reported last year, Warren County, Kentucky, Jailer Stephen Harmon knew there was going to be a COVID-19 outbreak in his jail. It was just a matter of when. “We tried our best to keep it from happening,” he said. “However with this many people in a fairly small spot, […]
Coal Mine Safety Regulators Issue COVID Protection Guidelines, But No Regulations
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday stronger coronavirus safety guidance intended to keep coal miners safe from COVID-19 in the workplace. However, the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration stopped short of issuing an emergency standard — as the mine workers’ union had requested — and instead kept to voluntary guidelines. “This updated […]
