619 new Kentucky coronavirus cases and 5 deaths. Mortality rate down to 2.5%.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 619 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Wednesday, edging the state’s total number of infections to 28,727.
“This is more cases than we want,” he said, but “right now, it looks like we are on track to be relatively stable as compared to last week’s numbers, and that’s a good thing.”
New cases have increased the last three consecutive weeks: the week of July 5-11 brought 2,494 cases; the week of July 12-18 brought 3,063 cases; and last week saw 4,580 new cases. Beshear said his hope, judging from the mid-week figures, is that this week will help “level out” that incline.
Five more people with the virus have died, their ages ranging from 58 to 87. The death toll is now 724.
Beshear said the state’s death rate from COVID-19 has declined in recent weeks from 3 percent to 2.5 percent.
The rate of people testing positive is up slightly, at 5.81 percent. Health officials have said a rate of more than 5 percent causes concern that not everyone who needs a test can get one quickly. “That is a concern,” the governor said.
Wednesday’s new cases include 17 children under age 5, including a 4-month-old.
There are currently 571 people hospitalized with the virus, 112 of whom are in intensive care. At least 609,989 tests have been administered.
At nursing homes and assisted living facilities, 23 more residents and 1 staff member has tested positive for the virus. In all, 477 nursing home residents and staff have died with COVID-19.
At state prisons and jails, at least 811 inmates and 122 staff have contracted the virus. Of those, 379 inmates and 53 staff are actively infected. A total of nine inmates, all from the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange, are currently hospitalized. Eight inmates with the virus have died.
Executive Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown said his department is in the process of screening roughly 700 inmates to see if they qualify for early release. It’s an effort to help reduce the chance of coronavirus outbreaks in state prisons. Only people who are near the end of their sentences and are incarcerated for nonviolent, nonsexual offenses who are at risk of contracting the virus will qualify.
Since the outbreak started, the state has commuted the sentences of close to 1,200 inmates, Brown said, few of whom have re-offended.
Beshear also said the Office of Unemployment Insurance reported another security breach on Monday, though he said officials don’t believe anyone’s financial or credit information has been compromised.
“What this is is one or possible two individuals . . . that weren’t able to see anybody’s name or social security number or birthday, just employer information and one line about an individual’s health,” he said, adding that the incident was so minor, “there might even be a question as to whether that qualifies as a data breach.”
The individuals whose information was viewed have been notified, he said. The first data breach occurred in late April, when some filing claims were given access to other claimant’s personal information.
“Just like the first data breach, absolutely no one to our knowledge has been financially harmed whatsoever,” Beshear said.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:37 PM.
