Kentucky reports 572 new cases of coronavirus Saturday, five more deaths
Kentucky had 572 new positive cases of COVID-19 Saturday, bringing the state’s total cases to 30,723, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release.
Beshear said five more coronavirus-related deaths had been reported in Kentucky, bringing the state’s total deaths to 740.
The deaths reported Saturday include three men from Oldham County, ages 55, 61 and 67; an 81-year-old man from Jefferson County; and an 84-year-old woman from Oldham County.
Saturday’s new cases included 11 children age 3 and under.
The state said 602 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, and 128 are in ICU.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department said Saturday morning that 91 new cases of coronavirus had been reported for Friday, bringing Fayette County’s total to 3,255 confirmed infections. More than half of those cases — 1,702 — were reported in July alone.
For the fourth consecutive day, Kentucky’s rate of positive cases declined, to 5.22 percent. At least 638,772 coronavirus tests have been performed in Kentucky so far.
Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner, again reminded Kentuckians to limit gatherings — even those outdoors — to 10 guests or fewer, saying social activities and other public gatherings can be “tinderboxes for COVID-19 transmission.”
“The commonly more personal, informal social behavior in these situations is a big risk,” he said. “If you and your guests are not keeping at least a six-foot social distance and if you’re not wearing masks, this spreads the disease. It places the people you care about most at risk and it endangers others if they spread the disease throughout the community.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
