Laurel County sees rush for vaccines as COVID-19 cases increase

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - There’s been a rush to get vaccines in southern Kentucky.

In Laurel County, local health leaders say more people are getting the booster as cases increase.

Every appointment for a booster Thursday was booked within hours of the health department opening in the morning and that’s a trend health leaders say is being prompted by a recent spike and, possibly, even concern over the omicron variant.

Health leaders say cases are ticking up in the county. Since Thanksgiving, they’ve had 200 new cases. Prior to the holiday, they were seeing 70 to 90 cases a week, about 10 cases a day. Now, it’s up to almost 30 new cases a day.

“We are seeing a high interest in booster shots. Anywhere from 40 to 50 a day at the health department, and some of the initial shots also,” said Mark Hensley, Laurel County Health Department.

Health leaders say they are giving the booster shot to anyone 18 and over but, mostly, it is older people and some that have chronic health conditions.

While cases are increasing locally, health leaders say they are not seeing hospitalizations increasing as rapidly.

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