Gov. Beshear Provides Update on COVID-19

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 15, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“Saturday’s COVID report unfortunately suggests this is going to be the highest week of total cases that we’ve ever had, though our positivity rate is going down a little bit,” said Gov. Beshear. “Folks, this thing is real. We are at war with it and we are going to have to be the strong, resilient and also patient Kentuckians that we are to make sure that we prevent loss of life, that we promote health and that we protect our children, that we should never, ever experiment with.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Aug. 15, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 38,930 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 638 of which were newly reported Saturday. Seventeen of the newly reported cases were from children age 5 and younger.

The Governor highlighted how more young Kentuckians are testing positive, especially in the hot spots, as the new school year approaches. “When you look at how hard children are being hit now, 322 people under the age of 18 have tested positive since the beginning of this in Warren County alone.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported six new deaths Saturday, raising the total to 810 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“That’s six other families who are suffering during this time,” said Gov. Beshear.

The deaths reported Saturday included two men from Jefferson County, ages 71 and 85; a 57-year-old woman from Jefferson County; a 74-year-old man from Graves County; a 72-year-old man from Nicholas County, and an 89-year-old man from McCracken County.

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Department for Public Health, said, “We all have crucial roles to play in the battle against the novel coronavirus. Now, more than ever, we have to renew our commitment to work together to protect ourselves, our friends, our families, and our communities. This week outpaced the number of new cases last week and, if we become complacent, our hard-fought containment of the coronavirus could slip from our grasp.”

We have to take this coronavirus seriously, Dr. Stack said. “Every person who avoids crowds, wears a face covering in public, maintains a social distance of at least six feet, and frequently washes their hands makes essential and invaluable contributions to our ability to fight this pandemic. If we all do these things consistently, we can suppress COVID-19 enough to more safely open schools and engage in many activities so important to our lives.”

As of Saturday, at least 754,985 tests had been administered. The COVID-19 testing positive rate, based on a seven-day rolling average, taking into account total positive tests reported by laboratories divided by total tests reported by labs, stood at 5.45%. The number of Kentuckians who have recovered stood at 9,091.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Week in Review
To read more about this week’s updates, including those on school reopeningrestaurants and barsbehavioral health carethe state budgetCARES Act funding for Area Development Districts, the virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony for Abandoned Mine Lands pilot projects, CARES Act reimbursements for local governmentsVolunteer KentuckyDr. Stack’s guidance and groundbreaking ceremonies at the Pikeville Medical Center, visit governor.ky.gov/news.

More Information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.govkycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts FacebookTwitter and YouTube.

Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s news conference at teamkentuckytranslations.com.

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