Amid continued vaccine push, Beshear will ease more restrictions on bars, restaurants.

Issuing another plea for Kentuckians to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday announced 167 new cases of the virus and 11 additional deaths.

“Folks, we need people to keep getting vaccinated. This is our chance to be patriotic Americans,” Beshear said in a news conference. “Vaccination openings: there are a lot. No matter where you are in the commonwealth, if you want to get vaccinated tomorrow you can do so with a very short drive.”

The deaths announced Monday, two of which were from the state’s ongoing audit of previously uncounted coronavirus deaths, were from September, November, December, March and April.

Last week Beshear announced he was no longer waiting for 2.5 million people to get at least their first dose before more fully relaxing coronavirus restrictions on businesses. Businesses serving fewer than 1,000 people, for instance, can expand from 60% capacity to 75% capacity on May 28. On Monday, he added to that list, announcing that, at the end of the month, “we are ending the curfew for bars and restaurants, and bar seating will be allowed again.”

He cautioned businesses not to throw caution to the wind: “Be reasonable. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” he said. “Look at your own facilities, look at the ability for air to move in and out, look at what your vaccination rates are in your county and what your incidence rates are and try to make good decisions.”

Beshear said he feels comfortable relaxing restrictions by the end of the month partly because the state’s infection curve remains plateaued, which means, “we are not out of the woods, but we are in such a better place than in the late fall and early winter,” he said.

The positivity rate, 3.25%, has also plateaued. There are more infections currently among people younger than 59, which the governor said is “directly attributable” to higher vaccination rates among older Kentuckians.

Roughly 53% of residents ages 16 and older have received at least their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine — 1,875,554 people. More than 80% of people over the age of 65 are vaccinated, which Beshear said was “our best news,” as they are among the most at risk for developing serious coronavirus infections. Among people ages 50-64, 55% are at least partially vaccinated.

But young people in Kentucky continue to account for some of the lowest vaccination rates of all age groups: 28% of people 18-29 are vaccinated, as are 38% of those 30-39 and 44% of people 44-49, according to the state’s vaccination dashboard.

More women than men are getting inoculated, but the gap is narrowing. Of doses administered to Kentuckians, 55% have gone to women and nearly 45% have gone to men.

The state Department for Public Health modified its vaccination map on Monday to allow people to search for sites based on which vaccine it offers. This will be useful, Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack said, when federal emergency use authorization is granted, potentially even later this week, giving teenagers and children and teenagers ages 12-15 permission to take the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Once that population is allowed to get a vaccine, Beshear said it’ll provide the state with a clear blueprint for when businesses, events and venues serving fewer than 1,000 people can return to “100% capacity.”

“We believe we’re going to be able to set a timeline for 100% capacity,” he said. But first, “what we want to do is give time for this age group to get vaccinated.”