LFCHD gearing up for ‘vaccine blitz’

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is gearing up for a vaccine blitz in the next few weeks.

It’s not just one type of vaccine that officials are pushing.

Health leaders say there’s a lot of information that you need to know about upcoming vaccines. Kevin Hall with the Health Department says in the next number of weeks it’s going to be important to listen to what experts say and if you’re eligible for a shot to “take advantage.”

“There’s going to be a lot of vaccines in the news over the next few weeks, from COVID-19 boosters to monkeypox vaccine, and flu shots will be here soon,” said LFCHD spokesperson Kevin Hall. “So, that’s a lot to keep up with, but it’s all done to protect the people of Central Kentucky.”

In the coming days, the CDC will review a new series of COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer and Moderna that specifically target the omicron variants.

In Fayette County, officials are already making plans for when those boosters become available. They say that interest in the vaccine spikes when a new booster comes out or a new case surge starts.

“Once we have the guidelines in place we’ll be able to start providing it and we’re looking to do, again, a mass clinic to be able to give a large amount of shots to the people who need this,” Hall said.

In addition to that, Hall says they’re also planning another mass clinic for the monkeypox vaccine.

“When we first started offering the vaccine in early August, we had hundreds of people calling to make appointments, and, while we’re not at those levels right now because of the mass vaccination clinic a couple of weeks ago, there’s still a lot of demand out there. People wanting it. More people are eligible to get it. And we’ll provide it as long as we can,” Hall said.

Hall says there have only been three reported monkeypox cases in Fayette County, but COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the county. Right now, Fayette County is in the red. Hall encourages everyone to make sure they’re educated and take advantage when those shots are available.

Hall says, in addition to getting vaccinated, making sure you take precautions like understanding symptoms, social distancing, hand washing and even breaking out a mask when necessary can help you stay healthy.

The health department will be giving out free flu shots on October 13, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Consolidated Baptist Church 1625 Russell Cave Road.

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