Kentucky has a Top 5 day for new COVID cases and deaths. 4,560 cases and 47 deaths.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced 4,560 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Wednesday and 47 coronavirus-related deaths as the state continues its troubling post-Christmas climb in infections.
Wednesday’s new case tally is the fourth-highest single-day increase, and the number of deaths makes it the third most fatal day since the beginning of the pandemic.
The statewide case total has reached 313,282 and the death toll, 2,991. The state’s positivity rate is at 12.29 percent. It has hovered above 12 percent since Saturday.
The governor, in a brief update, noted how the state’s death toll is teetering on the edge of 3,000. “That is tragic. We need to wear masks,” he said.
Referencing a spate of Republican-sponsored bills before the General Assembly that challenge the governor’s emergency orders meant to curb spread of the coronavirus, Beshear said, “We need to follow the rules and restrictions, and now is not the time to pull away the authority that keeps us safe. That allows us to be fluid and flexible with a virus that appears to be mutating and spreading more aggressively.”
There are 1,702 people hospitalized (31 fewer people than were reportedly hospitalized on Tuesday), 403 in intensive care (six more) and 225 on a ventilator (20 more).
The state has administered at least 153,498 coronavirus vaccines — 47 percent of the total doses it has received. Of the 98,475 doses reserved for long-term care facilities, only 27 percent have been given out. On Wednesday, 95 new positive cases of the virus were reported among residents and 57 new cases were announced among staff, for a total of 1,792 active cases.
Beshear promised to provide a “significant update” on Kentucky’s rollout of vaccinations in his live address Thursday. The news, he said, “is going to help us get this out faster and prepare for that time when we have more vaccinations and more people are eligible to receive it.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 4:38 PM.
