The Governor unveiled a new state website, vaccine.ky.gov, and hotline that help Kentuckians determine if they are eligible to receive a vaccine and then helps them find one in their region.

Find a Vaccine Website
By answering a series of questions on the new vaccine.ky.gov website, which is protected and secure, Kentuckians can determine if they are currently eligible for a vaccine and if so will be directed to a map that shows available vaccines sites across the state, like the four new centers added Thursday. As vaccine supplies increase, more sites will be added to the map and announced.

Kentuckians not currently eligible or unable to locate an available vaccine are encouraged to sign up for text or email updates by entering their name, county of residence and an email or phone number at vaccine.ky.gov. The sign-up is not a wait list or appointment scheduler, but aims to provide alerts when a person’s eligibility changes, or, for example, when vaccines are available in an area.

Find a Vaccine Hotline
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said in addition to the Find a Vaccine website, a new hotline has been added to help Kentuckians who do not have access to the internet or computer or need additional assistance. The hotline – 855-598-2246 or TTY 855-326-4654 – is available 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.

“Hotline operators are prepared to walk a person without internet through what's on the website via a phone call,” Dr. Stack said. “For those who are vaccine eligible, the operator can help them identify a vaccine location and connect them by phone or even help them look for an available appointment. For those not currently eligible, the operator can help the caller sign up for text or email notifications.”

Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray, who also serves as director of the Vaccine Distribution Project, shared a map of the Kentucky Horse Park location, discussed parking access and stressed patience as the state only has a limited amount of vaccines from the federal government at this time.

“We have no doubt that any available appointment will fill up immediately and we need every Kentuckian to know our ability to add more appointments and vaccine locations is strictly dependent on supply,” Secretary Gray said. “We do already have more Kroger regional sites planned in the weeks to come and we look forward to sharing that exciting news soon.”

This week, the Governor said the federal government will increase each state’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines and guarantee a minimum supply for three consecutive weeks.

“The top-line message on vaccines is the same as it has been: Our one issue is supply. Our only limitation at this point is the number of doses we can get from the federal government,” said Gov. Beshear.

The Governor added that the state had three specific challenges, all related to a limited supply of the vaccine. First, the small number of doses the state receives compared to the very large number of health care providers who would like to distribute it. Second, the state does not have enough vaccine doses or small enough vaccine batches to distribute them equitably on a county by county basis – instead the state is distributing equitably by region. Finally, as the state moves into larger and larger phases, the type of infrastructure needed from providers to accommodate patient needs changes.