930 new Kentucky coronavirus cases and 12 deaths. Lexington moves from red to orange.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 930 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Friday and a dozen new deaths, bringing the state’s case total to 65,066 and the death toll to 1,149.
“We cannot continue to have days where we have 900-plus cases,” Beshear said in a written statement, asking people to please wear their masks and practice social distancing. “The lives and the health of the Kentuckians around us depend on it,” he said.
The official rate of positive coronavirus tests in the state continues to hover below 5 percent, at 4.48 percent. At least 1,321,987 tests have been administered since early March.
In nursing and assisted living homes, the state Department of Public Health reports there are 571 active cases of the virus among residents and 446 among staff. Sixty-seven resident cases and 54 staff cases were newly reported Friday.
Six additional students across Kentucky’s colleges and universities and one new staff member were reported positive on Friday. Forty-six staff are actively positive, along with 1,403 students.
The state also reported 114 new cases of the virus among students in grades K-12 and 18 new staff positives. There are currently 685 active cases among K-12 students statewide and 306 active cases among staff.
Nine counties remain in the “red,” meaning they’re reporting at least 25 cases per 100,000 people and spread in those areas is considered “critical.” Five of those nine critical counties are in Eastern Kentucky, including Knott County, which has 67.5 cases per 100,000 people.
Fayette County, which had been in the red this week, improved to “orange” Friday afternoon, with an official case rate of 24.8 cases per 100,000. If a county is in the red, the state advises schools within those counties to stop in-person learning and cancel athletic events.
No decision on in-person learning was made at a special meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education Friday morning, but Superintendent Manny Caulk said the district would likely need to reach a “yellow” level before in-person classes can safely resume, meaning there needs to be 9.9 or fewer cases per 100,000 people.
There are 553 people currently hospitalized with the virus in Kentucky, 130 of whom are in intensive care.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 5:14 PM.
