2,990 new Kentucky coronavirus cases and 31 deaths. Mask mandate extended again.
Cautioning Kentuckians to keep their New Year’s gatherings small later this week to avoid another COVID-19 spike, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 2,990 new cases of the novel coronavirus across the state on Tuesday and 31 additional deaths.
“Our actions over Christmas or New Year’s can change success into failure,” he said in his last live coronavirus update of 2020. “Please make the right decisions. The safest place to be this holiday is in your home.”
The total number of cases statewide now stands at 261,492 and the death toll has reached 2,594. Tuesday’s deaths included a 33-year-old woman from Jefferson County and a 101-year-old woman from Perry County, as well as people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
There are 1,635 people hospitalized with the virus, including 380 in intensive care and 211 on a ventilator. The rate of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus is back up to 8.41 percent.
By the end of December, Kentucky should have received nearly 203,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to immunize residents and staff in long-term care facilities, as well as select frontline health care workers. CVS and Walgreens, which have federal contracts to distribute the vaccine to long-term care populations, began immunizing those groups last week across Kentucky. On Tuesday, alone, Beshear said Walgreens administered 1,009 doses and CVS administered 501 doses at 20 nursing and assisted living homes.
More than 200 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Kentucky nursing homes Tuesday, along with 40 additional deaths, including one staff member. In all, 66 percent of the state’s coronavirus-related deaths have come from long-term care facilities.
Beshear announced that the state expects another 53,700 doses of both vaccines — 27,300 from Pfizer and 26,400 from Moderna — during the first week of January.
Those early January doses will continue to be used to immunize health care workers and residents and staff in nursing and assisted living homes. Beshear said his goal is to finish inoculating those populations by the end of January. People older than 70, educators and emergency first responders will be next in line for immunizations starting in early February.
Beshear also renewed a handful of executive orders on Tuesday designed in part to stem aggressive spread of the virus and support specific populations who are under acute financial strain as a result of the virus. He extended the statewide mask mandate, which has been in place since July and has been renewed each month since, renewed an order extending the state’s moratorium on evictions through January 31, and extended permission for pharmacies to dispense 30-days worth of any non-scheduled medication.
After Congress last week passed another federal stimulus package to financially assist struggling families and businesses, Beshear said Kentucky expects to pocket more than $5 billion of the $900 billion package. Among other things, $2.3 billion will go toward doling out direct payments of $600 to any person who earns $75,000 or less, and household earning $150,000 or less.
“This act didn’t do everything that I’d hoped it would, but it is of significant help to fighting this virus, to getting back on our feet and helping our families who are struggling,” Beshear said. “But this is a start and an important start.”
Just under $490 million of that federal funding package will go to Kentuckians eligible for unemployment benefits ($300 per person for 11 more weeks), and more than $297 million will help provide rental and utility assistance.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday blocked Democrats’ attempt to increase the $600-per-person stimulus checks to $2,000 — an amount championed by President Donald Trump. Upping stimulus checks to $2,000 would funnel an additional $5 billion to Kentucky families and businesses, Beshear said.
Nearly $290 million of Kentucky’s share of the stimulus package will go toward coronavirus contact tracing, testing and mitigation efforts, he said, and close to $57 million will be dedicated to vaccine distribution.
K-12 schools will collect $928 million while $261 million will go to colleges and universities. Private schools will divvy up two-thirds of another $60 million education relief fund, Beshear said. Nearly $193 million in grants will be distributed to child care centers.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 4:25 PM.
