LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Chief Health Strategist Dr. Sarah Moyer said more than half of Louisville's population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 44% are fully vaccinated.
Moyer pushed for everyone to get both doses as she said those fully vaccinated are best protected from the new delta variant, a strain more dangerous and contagious — especially for those who are not vaccinated. While the strain is not yet common in Louisville, it is expected to be the dominant variant in the fall.
"That's the thing about the delta...you need both vaccine doses," Moyer said. "For a lot of the older ones, one dose is okay, but with the Delta variant, you definitely need two doses, so we have time to get that."
Moyer said the city remains in the yellow alert level, with 450 new cases and 11 death over the last two weeks. There are 14 COVID-19 patients in the ICU and 13 on ventilators.
"While our positive case counts are staying lower, COVID-19 is still present in Louisville," Moyer said. "I’m concerned that we are seeing a higher percentage of confirmed cases in our Black and Hispanic communities compared to our overall population."
Antonio T-Made Taylor and Hip-Hop n2 Learning have partnered with the Department of Public Health and Wellness to share information about vaccines with the Black community.
"People are becoming more confident in the vaccine, but we must continue to get the facts about them out to everyone. We must not let the propaganda and lies lead," Taylor said. "We need to all push as many facts possible and make them easy to find and easy to understand."
Hip-Hop n2 Learning will have a pop-up vaccination event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 26 at Newburg Park as the Department of Public Health and Wellness provides the Moderna vaccine. Food, special surprise guests and music from B96FM will also be at the event.
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