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Beshear: Kentucky could open up COVID-19 vaccines to everyone before May 1

The governor said he believes Kentucky will have the chance to vaccinate every adult who wants a shot before May 31.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — As the 1 millionth Kentuckian was given the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Andy Beshear said he expects the state to open vaccinations to everyone before May 1.

President Joe Biden called on states to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1 during his first primetime address March 1. While Beshear said the challenge is big, he said Kentucky is close to where it needs to be to meet Biden's goals.

"Thanks to significant increase in supply from the federal government, thanks to an aggressive strategy of building out vaccination sites, we are significantly ahead of where we thought we would be," Beshear said.

If pharmaceutical manufacturers continue to increase the rate in which they make vaccines, Beshear said he believes Kentucky will have the chance to vaccinate every adult who wants a shot before May 31.

"As of today, we've put 99.7% of all first doses we've ever received into people's arms and we've vaccinated 136,000 people this week with one day to go," Beshear said. "So it'll go much more smoothly."

Beshear said actually getting an appointment can be the hardest part of the vaccination process for Kentuckians, but said it will get easier as supply increases.

In his address, Biden laid out a plan for the country to "begin to mark our independence from this virus" by July 4. The Biden administration's timetable will allow for small gatherings during the national holiday.

RELATED: LIST | Where can I get the COVID-19 vaccine in Kentucky, Indiana?

RELATED: Glitch in the system? Vaccine sites in Indiana show up for Kentuckians

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