Beshear: Kentucky coronavirus cases may have plateaued again. 3,481 new cases.
Noting that Kentucky’s infection curve may be plateauing, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 3,481 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Wednesday, raising the statewide case total to 209,136.
Wednesday’s new cases are the tenth highest single-day increase, overall. And while that’s “still far too high,” Beshear said, it signals a slowing of the state’s exponential growth in new cases — an otherwise troubling trend that has been sustained in Kentucky for at least a month. “This is evidence that we may not just be slowing down that growth, we may even be plateauing our cases,” he added.
The governor also announced 16 additional deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 2,118. Those deaths included a 32-year-old man, and others in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
Another metric that Beshear said was a “positive trend” is the rate of Kentuckians testing positive, which dipped again for the sixth straight day, to 9.23 percent.
He attributed the lower case numbers and positivity rate to the “difficult steps” he took last month to close indoor dining rooms in restaurants and bars, stop in-person classes at K-12 schools and further limit the size of personal gatherings.
“Ongoing sacrifices and [the state’s] recent actions to slow the spread have made an impact,” he said. Beshear has so far told bars and restaurants to expect they will be able to reopen indoor dining spaces at 50 percent capacity on Monday, December 14. Likewise, Beshear told WDRB earlier on Wednesday that K-12 schools, even in “red zone” counties, can reopen January 4, as long as they have protections in place for at-risk students and teachers. That includes continuing to offer a virtual option for every class, Beshear said.
To provide financial relief for struggling bars and restaurants when he reinstituted temporary closures, Beshear set up a $40 million Team Kentucky Food and Beverage Relief Fund last month to be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to those eligible. So far, 4,069 businesses have applied for a total of $36.4 million in assistance. Of that, $17.5 million has been distributed or approved for distribution. Beshear said this week he would consider replenishing the fund if more than 4,000 bar and restaurant owners applied for help.
There are 1,792 people hospitalized with the virus (32 more than were hospitalized Tuesday), and of those, 412 are in intensive care (four fewer) and 211 are on ventilators (four more).
As nursing homes around Kentucky await shipments of a coronavirus vaccine, 163 more nursing home residents have tested positive, as have 111 nursing home staff. Nursing homes around the state are monitoring 3,772 active cases in those populations.
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 5:07 PM.
