First case of coronavirus confirmed in Kentucky. Patient is at UK Chandler Hospital.
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Kentucky has confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus, Gov. Andy Beshear announced late Friday afternoon.
The individual is a resident of Harrison County, according to a post on Facebook by the WEDCO District Health Department, which covers Harrison, Scott, Bourbon and Nicholas counties. The Cynthiana Democrat reported on Facebook that Judge-Executive Alex Barnett said the patient is a woman.
The patient is now in isolation at UK Chandler Hospital in Lexington, according to a hospital spokesman.
“We can confirm that we have a patient that has tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 currently in isolation at UK Chandler Hospital,” UK spokesman Jay Blanton said in a written statement. “Our health care team has taken every precaution and followed the appropriate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols to prevent exposure to other patients and caregivers.”
Blanton declined to provide any specific information about the patient, other than to say the person is “not a member of the UK community.”
Beshear urged calm, saying there is no need to panic.
“This is what we’ve been preparing for, and we are ready,” he said in a press conference alongside acting Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander and Department for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack.
“I get that it’s scary ... we will face this, we will face it together,” he said.
Beshear declared a public health emergency Friday evening, allowing Kentucky to tap into federal funds as it responds to the virus. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton followed suit, announcing in a 7 p.m. news conference that she has declared a state of emergency in the city.
Gorton said she had no further information about the patient who tested positive. She also could not say if other tests are pending in Fayette County.
“Right now we are urging people to go about their business,” Gorton said. “It’s just if you feel sick, stay home.”
Stack said epidemiologists will begin a process called “contact tracing” to determine the person’s location leading up to the illness, who they came in contact with, and any possible sources of exposure to the virus. They will then work with doctors and public health officials to determine if others should be placed in isolation.
Beshear reminded Kentuckians to get a vaccination for the flu, which has so far infected around 19,000 in Kentucky and killed nearly 70 people, Beshear said, adding, “right now, there is no reason to believe this will be as bad as the common flu.”
At this point, it’s premature for Kentuckians to avoid normal activities that involve crowds, he said. “With the information we have, yes, Kentuckians can and should go to churches [and] basketball games, but Kentuckians who feel sick absolutely should not.”
“I want you to be vigilant, I want you to practice good hygiene, but I don’t want you to disrupt your daily lives,” Beshear said.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell on Friday said that Kentucky was slated to receive at least $7 million of the $8.3 billion emergency spending package approved in the U.S. Senate on Thursday and signed by President Donald Trump on Friday to help tackle the nationwide spread of coronavirus.
The news came hours after Indiana health officials confirmed their state’s first case of the virus, also known as COVID-19, and a little more than a day after Tennessee diagnosed its first case. Since the respiratory illness first emerged in China in December, more than 100,000 people have been infected across the world, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization. More than 250 people across the United States have confirmed cases, and at least 15 have died.
Kentucky has so far tested a total of 10 people for COVID-19. Nine of those tests returned negative. The results from the first positive test, conducted at the state’s public health lab in Frankfort, returned on Friday, Beshear said. He would not release more information about the individual who contracted COVID-19, saying more time is needed for state epidemiologists to evaluate the case.
As of Monday, Kentucky’s Department for Public Health had acquired the capability to test for the viral respiratory illness at its state laboratory in Frankfort. Previously, the only option for state health officials, like many in the region, was to send their test kits to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The state currently has the capacity to conduct between 800 and 1,000 tests for potential cases of COVID-19, Stack said on Thursday, with the opportunity to request even more resources from the CDC, should that become necessary.
Kentuckians still remain at “very low risk” of contracting the virus, Stack said.
Lexington has set up a call center for questions about COVID-19 that will take calls between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. The number is 859-899-2222.
Visit https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/Pages/covid19.aspx for daily updates on COVID-19 in Kentucky. People can also call the COVID-19 Hotline at 1-800-722-5725.
Officials urged Kentuckians to take several steps to protect their health, including:
▪ Get a flu shot from your Local Health Department or your family provider.
▪ Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
▪ Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
▪ Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
▪ Stay home when you are sick.
▪ Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then properly dispose of it.
▪ Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 5:05 PM.
