775 new Kentucky coronavirus cases and 8 deaths. 23% of new cases are 18 or under.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 775 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Thursday — 130 of which are in kids and teenagers ages 18 and under — for a total of 45,978 cases.
“It means we do have to push to have fewer cases, but it does show we’re doing a lot of testing,” Beshear said.
Eight more people with the coronavirus have died, putting the death toll at 910. The rate of people testing positive, a seven-day average, is 4.8 percent. The White House recommends states consider enacting restrictions when the positivity rate exceeds 5 percent.
More than 20 K-12 schools reported at least one new case of the virus on Thursday. That includes 26 students who’ve tested positive and three teachers. Fourteen of Thursday’s new student cases are in Fayette County Public Schools, according to state data. Statewide, at least 85 students and 31 staff actively have the virus.
Though the governor often highlights the growing number of cases in kids 18 and younger, Kentuckians between the ages of 20 and 29 continue to account for the most infections. More than 8,900 young adults in this age bracket have contracted the virus, followed by people in their 30s, who account for 7,161 cases. Close to 6,300 kids and teenagers 19 and younger have tested positive.
Two more state colleges and universities are reporting at least one case of the virus, and 11 students and 1 teacher have tested positive. Five of those student cases are at Western Kentucky University, and three are at Eastern Kentucky University. So far, 19 colleges and universities have reported infections, and 319 students are actively infected.
There are 573 people hospitalized with the virus, 154 in intensive care and 88 on ventilators. At least 838,487 tests have been administered.
At nursing and assisted living homes, where the virus continues to spread aggressively, 43 more residents have tested positive, as have 38 staff members. There are 607 residents and 351 staff with active infections.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 4:39 PM.
