Updated: Nearly 70 new COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths in Lexington
Lexington capped off a record-setting month in the COVID-19 pandemic with 67 new cases and two new deaths reported Tuesday morning. The city’s total increased to 5,793.
The two most recent deaths were both people in their 70s, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. One was a resident of Pine Meadows, a nursing home which has now had 22 coronavirus deaths among residents.
August featured 2,538 new cases, more than 40 percent of all cases since March. There were also 12 new deaths and 126 new hospitalizations. The number of new cases and hospitalizations was a one-month record for the city. The new deaths were the third-most the city has had in a month. July set the record at 17.
In total, the city has had 58 coronavirus deaths and 423 hospitalizations, according to data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. New cases have increased every month since March.
Tuesday’s total was down after a string of days with more than 100 new cases. Over the weekend, the city had 206 new cases, of which 106 were University of Kentucky students.
The number of UK students with infections has been increasing, with 31 new cases among students reported by the local health department Tuesday morning. The local health department has reported 670 cases among UK students since UK began its campuswide testing program on Aug. 3. The local health department’s numbers only include students who reside in Fayette County or chose to quarantine within the county after testing positive.
The city’s minority populations are getting infected and dying at disproportionate rates. Lexington’s Hispanic population has accounted for more than a quarter of all cases and about 13 percent of all deaths. Only about 7 percent of Lexington residents are Hispanic.
Over one-quarter of all deaths have been Black Lexington residents despite the fact that only about 14 percent of Lexington residents are Black.
August was a record-setting month for the whole state. Kentucky reported 18,245 new cases, which was a one-month high. There were also 198 new deaths reported, the second-most in a single month. The positivity rate for the state increased to 7.36 percent. It had fallen all the way down to 2.86 percent in May, but has steadily increased to its highest point since April, when it was 8.4 percent.
There have been at least 48,396 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kentucky since the pandemic first hit the state in March. Of those infected, at least 933 have died.
“Let’s remember how serious this is, and let’s not act like everything is normal during a worldwide health pandemic when this is what we’re dealing with,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 9:12 AM.