289 new Kentucky coronavirus cases and 8 more deaths. Third nursing home worker dies.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 289 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky, the third straight day of more than 250 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 10,977 as businesses across the state continue reopening.
“Remember, COVID-19 is still out there spreading aggressively and it can be lethal to certain populations,” Beshear said in a news release. “Let’s make sure we’re keeping our social distance, let’s make sure we’re wearing masks and let’s protect one another.”
Beshear has been reluctant to characterize the higher number of new cases, saying he wants to continue looking at the data. One of the data points the Beshear Administration measures, the percentage of people who test positive, has continued to drop. On Friday, was at 3.99 percent, the first time the number has dipped below 4 percent.
There were eight deaths announced Friday, bringing the state’s death toll to 466.
Beshear said one of those people was the third employee of nursing homes in Kentucky to die from coronavirus-related complications. The staff member worked at Nazareth Home, Clifton in Louisville, where 28 staff members and 40 residents have tested positive and 12 residents have died from the virus.
At least 1,405 nursing home residents and 645 staff members have tested positive for the virus. Of those, 291 have died — 62 percent of the state’s overall COVID-19 deaths.
The higher numbers come as Lexington has seen two weeks of increasing cases. At least 847 people in Fayette County have contracted the virus, including 35 new cases reported Friday morning, the highest increase in new cases in a single day for Lexington.
Public health officials have warned against being complacent about the virus, advising people to wear masks and keep six feet between themselves and others. That has proven difficult as the state’s two largest cities have undergone a week of protests against police violence.
Officials have urged people who attend protests to get tested for the virus. So far, 274,919 tests have been conducted for the virus, which is the equivalent of 6.15 percent of the state’s population. At least 505 people are currently in the hospital for the virus, 73 of whom are in intensive care.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 5:08 PM.
