LOUISVILLE, Ky (AP) — Several Kentucky long-term care facilities have started vaccinating their residents, Governor Andy Beshear announced Monday.

“This is the beginning of the end for this virus. And these vaccines will save lives, especially in long term care,” Beshear said at a press conference.

Deaths in the state's assisted living and nursing homes account for two-thirds of Kentucky's coronavirus death toll. Vaccines for those groups should be finished by early March, preventing many more deaths, the Democratic governor added.

Kentucky received its first shipments of the new COVID-19 vaccine last week. Approximately 7,000 Kentuckians, the vast majority of them health care workers in hospitals, have been vaccinated since. By the end of December, the state is projected to receive around 175,800 doses.

Through the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, Walgreens pharmacy will provide the COVID-19 vaccinations in roughly 800 long-term care facilities across Kentucky.

Beshear maintained that he will not make the vaccinations mandatory, rebuffing concerns that a large amount of residents or workers will be hesitant to take them.

“We have not heard of any facilities where a significant portion are saying no to it,” he said.

Dr. Steven Stack, the state public health commissioner, urged Kentuckians to give priority to older and more high-risk individuals, even as more vaccination opportunities open up in the coming months.

“By helping to protect them, we not only protect those individuals but we also free up hospital capacity for all those others who may have COVID but also the many, many other Kentuckians who may need critical care that has nothing to do with COVID,” he said.

Kentucky reported 1,988 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 15 COVID-19 related deaths Monday. Just over 1,500 Kentuckians are hospitalized with the virus.

The state’s test positivity rate is 8.64%. The positivity rate is an indicator of the extent of the spread of the virus, according to the World Health Organization. If the rate is less than 5% for two weeks and testing is widespread, the virus is considered under control.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.

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Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

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Hudspeth Blackburn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.