Shifting from politics to vaccinations, the Kentucky Democrats hosted their own antithetical to Fancy Farm on Saturday called FancyVaxx. The event was held just off Poplar Level Road at the local 761 IUE-CWA union hall in the Newburg area.
Those elected officials in attendance were Congressman John Yarmuth, Mayor Greg Fischer, House Minority Leader Joni Jenkins, Senate Minority Leader Morgan Mcgarvey, amongst many other House and Senate Democrats.
Although they had originally planned to counter Fancy Farm with their own version known as “FancyVille,” Democrats ultimately changed their mind with the rise of the high contagious Delta variant in Louisville and other parts of the state.
According to Kentucky’s Department of Public Health Covid-19 Dashboard, Jefferson County is in the red with an 11.54 percent positivity rate. And although Louisville has surpassed the 50 percent mark of vaccinated citizens, certain areas of the city are still largely under-vaccinated, like the Newburg area where the Democrats chose to host the clinic.
Louisville Democrats cited the over-complication of getting vaccinated as the reason that Jefferson County’s vaccination numbers are still as low as they are.
“Research has shown that we as a society are making getting vaccinated too complicated. Even signing up for an appointment can be difficult for those citizens that don’t have access to wifi or other technology. It is important that people have access to vaccination clinics right by their houses and there is no prior sign-up required. That is why we are hosting this event today,” said Virginia Woodward, Chair of the Jefferson County Democratic Party.
The Kentucky Democrats partnered with Norton Healthcare to bring vaccines to the area.
“This event today is designed to be a part of Norton’s mission to bring access into the community and provide services to where people live and work. We are so thrilled today to bring vaccines into this high needs area,” said Krista MacArthur, Director for Prevention and Wellness, Adult Services at Norton Healthcare.
There were 54 vaccines administered at the event, 44 of those were first doses and 10 were second doses, according to the Louisville Democratic Party.
Before FancyVaxx was announced, many Kentucky Democrats announced they would not be attending Fancy Farm. Both Governor Andy Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman were invited to speak at Fancy Farm, but both took a raincheck. Neither were in attendance at FancyVaxx. Beshear did attend a Farmer’s Market in Frankfort on Saturday morning.
The Louisville Democratic Party normally sends a delegation to Fancy Farm and did not this year, they instead sent a donation to Saint Jerome Catholic Church where the picnic was held.
