New Kentucky coronavirus cases dwindle to 1,017. Eighteen more deaths announced.
Noting that Kentucky continues to “hold its progress against COVID-19,” Gov. Andy Beshear announced 1,017 new cases of the virus across the state on Wednesday and 18 additional virus-related deaths.
While the daily tally of new cases is the lowest reported on a Wednesday in more than a month — one of several indicators that spread of the virus is receding across Kentucky — “it’s too early to relax precautions,” Beshear said in a brief written update.
“We must remain vigilant,” he said, reminding people that even those who’ve been vaccinated should continue following guidelines. Those include wearing a mask around others outside of your home, and keeping indoor gatherings small.
The statewide positivity rate is back up slightly to 6.99 percent. It has hovered below 7 percent since Feb. 12. Just 36 of the state’s 120 counties are in the “red zone,” where spread of the virus is considered critical. The state has confirmed a total of 391,772 cases and 4,336 deaths attributable to the virus.
.png "confirmedcasesmap (10).png")
The state has administered first doses of the coronavirus vaccine to at least 538,595 people, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
In long-term care facilities, where over the last year the virus spread at times uncontrolled before vaccines became widely available, there are just a dozen new cases among residents and 10 among staff, bringing their total number of active cases to 428.
In K-12 schools, at least 129 more students and 42 additional staff had tested positive as of Tuesday, while 202 students and 60 staff are quarantined from direct exposure.
There are 934 people hospitalized with coronavirus in Kentucky, down from 935 on Tuesday. Of those, 259 are in intensive care (13 fewer) and 128 are on a ventilator (five fewer).
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 4:33 PM.
