Governor urges Kentuckians to accelerate vaccination pace

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentucky needs to accelerate its COVID-19 vaccination pace. The governor said Thursday that more than 1.75 million Kentuckians have received at least their first dose of vaccine. That leaves about 750,000 people still needing to get vaccinated to meet a goal set by the governor to remove capacity and physical distancing restrictions at many businesses. Beshear says the sooner more Kentuckians get vaccinated, the faster more restrictions can be lifted. The state reported 796 new coronavirus cases and 12 virus-related deaths Thursday. That includes two deaths discovered through the state’s audit of deaths from previous months.