‘The situation is getting very dangerous.’ 1,039 new KY COVID-19 cases and 6 deaths.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 1,039 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Friday, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 70,727. He also announced six new deaths, for a total of 1,197.
“The situation is getting very dangerous in Kentucky. We have to do better,” Beshear said in a written update. “If you care about your economy, if you care about getting your kids into school, if you care about the lives of those around you, put on a mask.”
The state has reported 4,883 cases since Sunday, putting it on track to “shatter” last week’s seven-day record of roughly 5,000 announced cases, Beshear said.
The state’s rate of positive tests, a seven-day average, is at 4.3 percent. At least 1,507,046 tests have been administered since the start of the pandemic — an increase of 23,086 since Thursday.
In K-12 schools across Kentucky, 89 additional students have tested positive and 36 staff, according to the Kentucky Department of Public Health. The state is monitoring 862 active cases of the virus among students and 423 in staff.
At colleges and universities, 87 more students were diagnosed with the coronavirus and one staff member. Though these numbers are likely lagging, the state reported at least 1,358 students and 49 faculty and staff are actively positive.
Western Kentucky University is responsible for the lion’s share of those active cases, according to the state, with 481, followed by the University of Kentucky’s 218 cases and University of Louisville’s 100 cases.
In nursing and assisted living facilities, 127 additional residents and 92 staff have contracted the virus. The state is monitoring 1,184 active cases at those facilities.
The state’s official incidence rate for Fayette County was 30.4 cases per 100,000 people on Friday, putting it in the “red zone,” along with 16 other counties. But the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department on Thursday said the state’s figures are lagging, and the accurate incidence rate is markedly lower. If a county is in the red it means community spread is at a “critical” stage, and the state recommends districts within that county cancel in-person classes and athletic events.
There are 578 people hospitalized in Kentucky with the virus, 133 of whom are in intensive care.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 5:15 PM.
