FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack joined Gov. Andy Beshear Tuesday to discuss the state's "alarming" COVID-19 situation.
As the delta variant dominates the country, Beshear said data indicates the state is seeing its most severe escalation in COVID cases to date.
The week of Aug. 8-14 saw Kentucky's third-highest positivity rate since the pandemic started. Hospitalizations have been doubling every two weeks, and Beshear said officials expect to have more Kentuckians in the hospital battling COVID at the end of the week than ever before.
"We've lost 7,400 people," Beshear said. "So...saying we are experiencing right now the most rapid rise in cases ought to alarm everybody and get everybody on the same team to do the right thing."
Beshear encouraged those who are unvaccinated to get the shot, and said people need to continue following masks and social distancing guidance.
As misinformation continues to spread about COVID vaccines, Stack said people need to be "very careful" about where they receive their guidance.
"Those who are passing along lies about these vaccines are killing people," Stack said.
Nearly 4.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered around the world. Stack said those vaccines are "the most heavily studied, heavily scrutinized, heavily monitored and rapidly deployed pharmaceuticals that humanity has ever seen."
"These are not experimental, these have been rigorously studied, actively monitored and overwhelmingly been found to be safe," Stack said. "The risks of getting COVID are so much larger than any risk you take with the vaccine."
There is no evidence in the billions of doses administered that the vaccine has an adverse impact on pregnancy. Instead, health officials said pregnant people who get COVID face a higher risk of serious harm to themselves or their unborn child than people who are not pregnant.
"I urge you to not fall into the trap of believing this myth that these are not studied robustly," Stack said.
He also dismissed any claims that masks do not work, saying "what we want to believe and what is real are not the same things."
A scientific brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported several studies from across the globe found masks are a key tool in preventing the spread of COVID.
"Cloth masks not only effectively block most large droplets (i.e., 20-30 microns and larger), but they can also block the exhalation of fine droplets and particles (also often referred to as aerosols) smaller than 10 microns," the report said.
"Don't let these false equivalences and just outright lies be put on par with things that science has shown," Stack said.
The health commissioner said the spread of misinformation could not only impact people who get COVID, but people who are unable to get the help they need because hospital beds are taken by COVID patients.
While Louisville hospital systems said they have not yet reached capacity, the Kentucky Hospital Association said hospitals around the state are starting to cancel elective surgeries and some smaller, filled hospitals are calling larger hospitals to find an open bed.
"Because people who are in positions of responsibility peddling lies and falsehoods that we want to believe that aren't true, there are going to be people across the country who die who have nothing to do with COVID because all the COVID people they don't believe in are in the hospital filling up all the beds," Stack said.
Both Stack and Beshear said people need to do "the right thing" to protect Kentuckians.
"Please use science and use the intellect we were gifted with to make good choices so that we all don't get hurt by this," Stack said.
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