Kentucky surpasses 300,000 cases of coronavirus, with 4,240 new cases Saturday
Kentucky has had more than 300,000 cases of coronavirus, Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday as he reported 4,240 more cases.
“Our positivity rate is at a very dangerous place at 12.32 percent, the highest it’s been since May,” Beshear said in a video shared on his Facebook page. “This is not the time to hamper our ability to fight a deadly virus.”
The Kentucky General Assembly met Saturday and passed a bill limiting the governor’s power to close schools or businesses during the pandemic.
As of Saturday, 1,752 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Kentucky, including 384 in ICU and 201 on ventilators, according to state data.
Twenty more deaths as a result of the virus were reported Saturday, bringing the total lives lost to 2,876 Kentuckians.
The new cases Saturday brought the state’s total to 300,398 since the pandemic began last year.
“This is everywhere, and we all have the ability to fight back against it,” Beshear said.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 238 new cases and one more death on Saturday, bringing the city’s total deaths to 166. The health department reports case numbers from the previous day each morning, except on Sundays.
This story was originally published January 9, 2021 at 7:49 PM.
