MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (LEX 18) — As Kentucky settles into a post-COVID-19 world, the state has been pushing vaccines and economic rebound. Both of those aspects came together at the grand opening of the new First Care Clinic in Mt. Sterling on Thursday.
"Every single day feels a little bit better because every day more Kentuckians are stepping up getting vaccinated, protecting themselves, and their families, and the communities around them," said Gov. Andy Beshear at the grand opening. "And nearly every day, we are seeing signs that Kentucky's economy isn't just coming back, it is truly roaring back."
Beshear said the new clinic will not only provide jobs, but it'll also help with Kentucky's vaccination efforts.
Currently, Montgomery County still has a high level of community transmission of COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
The data also shows 29.9% of the county's total population is vaccinated. That number improves when you look at the 65+ population. According to the data, 66.8% of the 65+ population in Montgomery County has been vaccinated.
Beshear says there's room for improvement. He believes the county, and the rest of Kentucky, will slowly get to better vaccination rates.
"We realize that we're not going to get 40,000 people vaccinated in a day again. But if we get 10,000 day after day after day, we'll get there," said Beshear.
On Thursday, the new First Care Clinic added a few more vaccinations to those numbers.
Emily Jones, who admittedly doesn't like needles, was happy to get the vaccine to get back to normal life.
"By taking action and getting the vaccine, we're helping not ourselves and not being selfish but we're helping other people around us," said Jones.
