546 new Kentucky coronavirus cases and one death. Positivity rate at 5.51%.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 546 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Wednesday, putting the state’s total at 32,741 as the number of new cases appears to remain plateaued.
“Again, it’s hard to believe that that can be good news, and it’s not in so many ways,” the governor said. “But the trajectory that we were going on was terrifying. Today’s number strongly suggests and is evident of facial coverings working.”
The rate of people testing positive, a seven-day rolling average, is up about a quarter of a percent from Tuesday, to 5.51 percent, Beshear said.
One more person with the virus has died — a 71-year-old woman from Logan County — putting the death toll at 752.
Wednesday’s new infections include 21 kids under the age of 5, as well as 10 new residents in nursing and assisted living homes. Going forward, select residents and staff in those facilities will be preemptively tested at least every two weeks to try and immediately identify any potential outbreaks, Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said.
In Lexington on Wednesday, two more cases of the virus were confirmed at the Fayette County Detention Center, putting the case total at three. The first case was announced Tuesday evening. All three inmates, who are in isolation, had symptoms when they were tested on Monday, according to the Lexington Division of Community Corrections.
There are currently 620 people hospitalized with the virus in Kentucky, 131 of whom are in intensive care. At least 8,476 have recovered.
In-person school openings slated for later this month are the next big events that could potentially lead to another statewide spike in cases. Late last month as cases were surging, Beshear asked schools to put off reopening to the third week of August. On Wednesday, Beshear said the escalation has not slowed enough for him to comfortably recommend in-person classes resume.
“If it were today, I would suggest they [should] delay,” he said of reopenings. When asked whether he will recommend another start date delay, he said, “That’s certainly possible that we would make that recommendation.”
Patronizing restaurants and bars are other activities known to contribute greatly to virus spread. Beshear’s temporary closure of bars and reduction of restaurant capacity expires next week. While it’s still possible that order will be renewed, Beshear said people should expect new restrictions in those places, including a possible curfew and a “strictly-enforced seat rule,” thwarting the opportunity for people to stand and mingle.
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 4:23 PM.
