Kentucky coronavirus surge: 2,318 new cases and 20 deaths. 80 counties in ‘red zone.’
Gov. Andy Beshear announced a troubling 2,318 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Thursday — a single-day record for new cases — and 20 additional deaths from the virus.
Kentucky has exceeded 2,000 daily cases only one other time and it was in October and included a substantial backlog of cases from Fayette County.
“There’s no backlog in this one,” Beshear said of Thursday’s increase, which raises the state’s case total to 115,277. At least 1,534 people have died.
The state has seen daily increases surpassing 1,000 for the last 10 days, and eight of those days had daily case totals exceeding 1,500. “We are awash in the coronavirus. Today, again, shows a concerning escalation that means we just need more out of everybody. Every other concerning number is going up,” Beshear said of hospitalizations, death and positivity rate.
The rate of positive tests, a seven-day average, is up to 6.5 percent. At least 2,166,568 tests have been announced, more than 80,000 of which came in the last two days.
The pace at which new cases are growing is “really concerning,” but so is the corresponding growth of hospitalizations, occupancy of ICU beds and ventilators, Beshear said. Hospital occupancy from coronavirus patients has more than doubled since early October.
There are a record 1,102 people hospitalized — 36 more than were hospitalized Wednesday. Five more people have been moved to intensive care in the last 24 hours, for a total of 291, and the number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators is up to 129, an increase of four from Wednesday.
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80 counties trigger red zone reductions
Eighty Kentucky counties are in the “red zone,” where spread is considered critical. Beshear pleaded with those communities to coordinate and take action to reduce spread next week. Red zone counties are urged to cancel public and private events; move in-person schooling to virtual only; prioritize curbside pick-up and online shopping; suspend in-person visitation at nursing homes; and promote telework as much as possible.
“It’s dangerous out there,” Beshear said. “It’s dangerous to you personally. It’s dangerous to especially those most at risk for the virus.”
At this point, no new statewide mandates are on the table, Beshear said. Too few Kentuckians are heeding the mandates already in place, like the requirement to mask up in public. Instead, he continues to ask local leaders, public health officials and business leaders to enforce restrictions in their communities.
“I don’t think, at this moment, it’s an issue of more mandates,” he said. “It’s an issue of encouraging and enforcing to get people to wear the darn masks.”
To those who still refuse to wear masks, or don’t do so diligently, the governor urged them to reconsider: “I’m not trying to tell you to do it because I want to invade your liberty,” Beshear said. “I’m doing it because I want you to survive this thing and not harm anybody else.”
In K-12 schools, another 225 students and 105 staff have tested positive, and 3,163 students and 521 staff are in quarantine this week because of virus exposure, according to the school coronavirus dashboard.
Alcohol license fees waived
To provide more financial relief to struggling restaurants and bars, Beshear also announced the state will waive alcoholic beverage license renewal fees for a year. For those businesses who haven’t paid these fees yet, they won’t have to until 2021, and for those who’ve already paid this year, their fees will be waived next year.
“The goal is to provide some economic relief” to bars, restaurants and temporary venues “that have had to close or reduce capacity or change their hours during [the pandemic],” Beshear said.
This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 4:34 PM.
