One of two new Kentucky coronavirus cases refused to self-isolate. He’s being forced.
The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus increased by four Saturday in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced, including a patient in Nelson county who has been forced into home isolation after refusing to self-isolate. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky is now 18.
Beshear also told all hospitals in the state to stop performing any elective procedures by the close of business Wednesday and told all child care centers to plan for closure on short notice, possibly within 72 hours.
“We just have to do what it takes to lessen the spread of this coronavirus and I don’t want to be the governor that waits two weeks too late to take some of those steps,” Beshear said in an afternoon news conference.
The latest cases include two in Fayette County, one in Nelson County and one in Jefferson County. Nelson became the sixth Kentucky county with a confirmed cased of COVID-19.
Beshear said in a news release that the two new Lexington cases are related to an existing patient. There are now five patients with COVID-19 in Fayette County.
The new Louisville patient, who is the city’s fourth, is believed to be an 80-year-old female.
The patient from Nelson County is a 53-year-old man who tested positive at the University of Louisville, then left against medical advice, Beshear said. The Lincoln Trail District Health Department asked him to self-quarantine, but he refused.
A law enforcement officer has been posted outside the man’s home, Beshear said.
“It’s a step I hoped I’d never have to take, but we can’t allow one person who we know has the virus to refuse to protect their neighbors,” Beshear said.
Nelson County Judge-Executive Dean Watts had to declare a state of emergency in order to invoke a little-known statute that allows him to force a “self-isolation or quarantine.”
“We’ve got to make sure that people who have tested positive, that we know could be spreading the virus, and simply refuse to do the right thing, do the right thing,” Beshear said.
Kentucky’s 18 confirmed cases include six in Harrison County, five in Fayette County, four in Jefferson County, one in Bourbon County, one in Montgomery County and one in Nelson County.
The health department in Montgomery County issued a notice Friday night that said people who attended Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Mount Sterling last Sunday might have been exposed. They were told to self-monitor for symptoms of coronavirus. The patient is in isolation at home.
The Bourbon County patient, who was first announced late Friday night, is being treated in a hospital.
Officials have confirmed that one patient from Harrison County has fully recovered. None of the 18 has died, though Beshear said one patient is in critical condition and warned that a recovery seems unlikely. “We’re very concerned with their status,” he said.
The Democratic governor said he expects more people to test positive because the virus is being “community spread,” meaning that it’s moving from person-to-person in Kentucky and cases are popping up without known linkages. That has led to drastic measures across the state, including the closure of churches and schools and tight restrictions on visitors to nursing homes and jails, in order to limit the spread of the respiratory illness.
Hospitals told to stop performing elective procedures
Beshear called the new actions the state is taking “substantial” and said people will continue to see escalating steps. He said he would work with hospitals to determine which procedures are elective and which procedures are essential. He said hospitals should be prepared to repurpose staff to deal with a potential influx of coronavirus patients.
“The fact is we need all the capacity we can to deal with the cases we’re going to see,” Beshear said. “... We want to make sure we have the resources to help every single one of these people.”
Beshear said he understands that closing daycares would create hardships for many families. He said giving the child care centers and parents 72 hours to plan will give people “some lead time.”
Kentucky retrieving Grand Princess passengers
The state also continues to work on bringing back 16 Kentuckians who were aboard the Grand Princess, a cruise ship that carried 21 people who tested positive for COVID-19. Beshear said all of the Kentuckians have tested negative, but it has been a challenge getting them home.
Beshear said he has sent the Kentucky National Guard, including a health care team, to an air force base to retrieve 14 of those Kentuckians. He hopes they will be home Sunday. Beshear said he’s still working to get the final two, who are located at a different air force base.
“These are our people and they have been through a lot,” Beshear said. “I know we can take care of them. They deserve to be at home and we want to get them there.”
Kentucky residents can call the state coronavirus hotline — 1-800-722-5725 — for advice about when to seek medical treatment. Those with symptoms of coronavirus — cough, fever and difficultry breathing — are strongly urged to call the hotline or their physician before visiting a doctor.
The hotline is currently receiving around 2,000 calls a day, Beshear said.
Beshear also warned people against hoarding supplies, saying he had heard of a woman who was unable to find formula for her baby. He suggested that anyone who bought an excessive amount of supplies out of fear should share them with people who may not have any.
Visit Kentucky’s coronavirus website, kycovid19.ky.gov, for more guidance about the disease.
Kentucky coronavirus cases
- Patient 1: 27-year-old female in Harrison County - Recovered
- Patient 2: 40-year-old male in Fayette County
- Patient 3: 69-year-old male in Jefferson County
- Patient 4: 67-year-old female in Harrison County
- Patient 5: 68-year-old male in Harrison County
- Patient 6: 46-year-old male in Fayette County
- Patient 7: 54-year-old female in Harrison County
- Patient 8: 60-year-old male in Harrison County
- Patient 9: 51-year-old male in Harrison County
- Patient 10: 31-year-old female in Fayette County
- Patient 11: Jefferson County*
- Patient 12: 66-year-old male in Bourbon County
- Patient 13: 68-year-old female in Jefferson County
- Patient 14: 80-year-old female in Jefferson County
- Patient 15: 53-year-old male in Nelson County
- Patient 16: 56-year-old male in Montgomery County
*the state has not released demographic information for Patient 11 in Jefferson County.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 4:25 PM.
