Beshear: Any vaccinated adult in Ky. eligible for COVID booster

Not just those who met certain guidelines.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Wednesday afternoon he had signed an executive order allowing anyone 18 years of age and older to get a COVID-19 booster shot, not just those who met certain guidelines.

Up until now, boosters were approved only for people 65 or older, those with a compromised immune system, adults in long-term care settings, and adults who work in settings where they come into contact with a lot of people.  His order expands the list to everyone, regardless of whether they had the Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“It is incredibly important that people get out there and not only get vaccinated, but their booster,” Beshear stated.  “There has been too much confusion, and with us either at a plateau or a slight uptick in cases and hospitalizations, now was the time.  So, everybody, if you’re over 18, and it’s been six months since your second shot, you need to go out and get your booster.”

He pointed out that with the holiday season approaching, large gatherings are especially risky for the spread of COVID-19.  “Because of that, it’s more important than ever that we get people vaccinated and get people their boosters to push their immunity up to the highest levels, because over time that immunity wanes.”

Beshear noted cases are spiking again across Europe, which increases his concern for the trajectory in Kentucky’s case numbers without increased vaccinations and boosters.

As of Wednesday, more than 437,000 Kentuckians had received a booster.

At least five other states so far have taken similar steps to expand eligibility for vaccinations booster shots, including, Arkansas, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and West Virginia. According to reports, the Food and Drug Administration could authorize booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for all adults as early as this week.