The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department will spray for mosquitoes early on the morning of Sept. 14 in the 40505 and 40511 area codes after a bird in the area tested positive West Nile Virus. Spraying will be done between 3-6 a.m. Tuesday. For spraying to occur, the wind speed must be less than 10 mph, the temperature must be greater than 55 degrees F and there can be no rain or dense fog. The mosquito spray used by the health department only affects adult mosquitoes that are in the air at the time of spraying.
We have developed this patient guide to help you with your next steps: COVID-19 Patient Guide (updated 9/8/21).
We are attempting to call all positive cases, but we cannot call someone until we have important information (names, phone numbers, test dates, etc.) from the labs. Some cases cannot be contacted because of missing lab information and/or people not answering our calls. If you have tested positive and have not been contacted by us, please send your lab results to covidreport@lfchd.org.
Close Contacts
We do not call contacts of cases. For close contacts, this guide can help you: Close Contact Quarantine Information. If you need official documentation for your place of employment, or for private schools, please email covidorders@lfchd.org.
If you are a Fayette County Public Schools contact who has been quarantined by the schools, you will be contacted by FCPS and not the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
NEW LOCATION: We are offering a special Saturday COVID-19 vaccination clinic! The free Pfizer vaccine will be available for ages 12 years and older 12-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at STEAM Academy, 1555 Georgetown Road. Walk-ins accepted, or schedule https://tiny.lfchd.org/l?eventKey=84E4CDB142E0C0D82A81C52A50163BC1.
Save the date, Lexington! We’ll be giving free flu shots 3-6 p.m. Oct. 6 at Consolidated Baptist Church, 1625 Russell Cave Road. Additional details will be available soon and will post at lfchd.org and on our Facebook page.
“An annual flu shot is the best way to fight the flu each fall and winter,” LFCHD spokesperson Kevin Hall said. “The flu shot remains important this year as we remain in the COVID-19 pandemic. It can help reduce the overall impact on respiratory illnesses on the population, which will lessen the burden on our healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In addition to helping prevent you from getting sick with flu, a flu shot can reduce the severity of your illness if you do get flu and reduce your risk of a flu-associated hospitalization.
The seasonal flu shot is recommended for all people ages 6 months and older and is especially important for people at the highest risk of serious complications from the flu: infants and young children, pregnant women, anyone with underlying medical conditions and adults 50 and older.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC is also urging the flu shot for essential workers, including healthcare personnel and long-term care facility staff; and people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including adults 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities and anyone with underlying health conditions.
Fayette County Public Schools has implemented robust health and safety protocols designed to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19 so that our students reap the benefits of in-person learning. in the latest effort, our health care partners will offer voluntary free COVID-19 testing for all interested FCPS students and employees on several of our campuses, district facilities, and community locations. Individuals can go to any of the testing sites regardless of where they work or attend school.
Starting Monday, Aug. 23, third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines will be available for immunocompromised people by same-day appointment every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in our Public Health Clinic at 650 Newtown Pike. Call 859-288-2483 to schedule your appointment. The third dose can be received four weeks after receiving your second dose.
Please note this is NOT the booster dose for those who received their second dose 6 months ago (learn about the differences here: Information on third dose and booster dose). This is a third dose only for immunocompromised people. Those who need the third dose include people who:
Have been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
Have moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
Have advanced or untreated HIV infection
Have active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
Anyone who has yet to receive their first dose or second dose can also call to schedule their same-day appointment! Our Public Health Clinic offers the Moderna and Janssen vaccines for ages 18 and older and the Pfizer vaccine for ages 12 and older.
The CDC has recently updated information about a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for some people and a booster dose for others. Let’s take a look at the differences between the third dose and the booster:
People who are immunocompromised may not build the same level of immunity with a 2-dose vaccine series and may benefit from an additional dose to make sure they have enough protection against COVID-19. The CDC recommends people who are immunocompromised should receive an additional dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine after the initial two doses. This is not the same as a booster dose.
Third doses will be available for immunocompromised patients through the health department later this week or next week after we have received the appropriate medical protocols and have all the details in place. More information will be available at www.lfchd.org and our Facebook page once it is completed.
(Updated Set. 28) A booster dose is given to people when the immune response to a primary vaccine series is likely to have waned over time. Booster doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 have been approved. Learn more at www.lfchd.org/PfizerBooster. While the CDC anticipates the need for a booster dose with the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine, information is not yet available.
Information about how the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department will provide booster doses will be available at www.lfchd.org and our Facebook page once details are finalized.
The top priority remains staying ahead of the virus and protecting people from COVID-19 with safe, effective and long-lasting vaccines. This virus is constantly changing, and vaccines remain the most powerful tool we have against COVID-19. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, you should get vaccinated right away. Nearly all the cases of severe disease, hospitalization, and death continue to occur among those not yet vaccinated.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department will host a low-cost rabies vaccination clinic 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, at Douglass Park, 726 Georgetown Street. Because of COVID-19, masks are required for every person who attends.
Vaccinations will cost just $5. All cats and ferrets must be in a carrier, and all dogs must be on leashes. In the event of bad weather, the clinic date is subject to change, with Sept. 16 set as the rain date. The health department will provide updated information at www.lfchd.org, on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LFCHD, and its Twitter account at www.twitter.com/LFCHD. A special Facebook Event page has also been created at www.facebook.com/events/4239266719496751.
Rabies, a viral disease of humans, pets and wild animals, is transmitted from animals to humans by the saliva of a rabid animal, usually from a bite. Rabies vaccinations typically cost about $20, making this clinic a great value to pet owners. “A rabies shot gives protection to the pet as well as its owner and the other people of Lexington,” said Luke Mathis, LFCHD Environmental Health team leader and one of the event’s organizers. “We’re pleased to provide this useful public health service as we help Lexington be well.”
The clinic also provides pet owners with the opportunity to purchase an animal license for $8 if the animal has been spayed or neutered. A license costs $40 if the animal has not been altered or the owner has no proof of alteration. Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control, the Lexington Humane Society, the Lexington-Fayette County Division of Parks and Recreation Department and the Gainesway Small Animal Clinic are also sponsoring the event.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is alerting the community to a potential scam involving phone calls seeking payment for COVID-19 services. Please remember that all COVID-19 tests and vaccinations are FREE for everyone. You will not be contacted by the health department requesting a payment of any kind. If you receive a call like this, please call the Lexington Police Department at 859-258-3600 to report it.
If you receive a call from the health department and have questions about its legitimacy, you can call the LFCHD COVID-19 call center at 859-899-2222 for assistance.
As Fayette County students prepare to head back to school, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is making sure they have plenty of opportunities to get their required vaccinations.
To beat the back-to-school rush, the health department will be offering immunizations by same-day appointment at the Public Health Clinic at 650 Newtown Pike. To schedule an appointment or for more information about the immunizations, please call (859) 288-2483.
Participants must be 18 years or younger and be uninsured or underinsured. Medicaid is accepted. Immunization records must be brought to the appointment, and physicals will not be provided.
When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk and can spread diseases to others in their classrooms and community – including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other health conditions.
Fayette County students who are new to the school district or are entering kindergarten are required to bring a Kentucky immunization certificate in order to enroll. Sixth-grade students are also required to have certain boosters and must bring an up-to-date immunization certificate. Please call the health department’s school health division at (859) 288-2314 for more information.
