6 UK HealthCare workers, 2 UK students and 1 staffer have contracted coronavirus
At least six health care employees at the University of Kentucky, two students who live off campus and one staff member have tested positive for COVID-19, according to UK.
In a campus-wide email, the university said three other people have been hospitalized for the novel coronavirus on UK’s campus, including one who has fully recovered and been released. The staff member is currently working remotely.
So far, more than 250 people across the state have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
“Given our size — and the presence on the campus of an academic medical center, the state’s largest health provider — it is not surprising that members of our community have been exposed to and/or contracted the virus,” Joe Monroe, the chief of UK police, said in the email.
There have been 44 COVID-19 cases in Lexington, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, including one person who died — an 82-year-old woman.
UK transitioned to online instruction on March 23rd and has asked all students to move off campus by the end of the day Friday. “Students who remain — because they cannot travel — will be housed in individual rooms in residence halls on the north end of campus, where they can be supported,” Monroe said.
There have been concerns about health care workers coming in contact with the virus across the country as hospitals and first responders face a shortage of personal protective equipment. A Lexington firefighter tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, according to Mayor Linda Gorton.
The clinical microbiology lab at UK started running COVID-19 tests last week and the university has opened up a drive-through testing site that’s available by appointment to UK HealthCare workers who are showing symptoms.
Herald-Leader reporter Beth Musgrave contributed to this article.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 4:13 PM.
