FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 21, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the commonwealth.
“We have stopped the exponential growth and escalation of this virus, but we still have to fight every day, wear masks and stay six feet apart so we can get this thing on the decline and open more things safely,” said Gov. Beshear.
Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Aug. 21, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 42,265 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 785 of which were newly reported Friday. Seventeen of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger.
“Ninety-seven of today’s cases are kids under 18,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’ve got to protect all of our children.”
Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported eight new deaths Friday, raising the total to 864 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The deaths reported Friday include a 49-year-old man from Clark County; a 92-year-old woman from Green County; a 92-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 78-year-old man from Lewis County; a 56-year-old man from Madison County; a 77-year-old woman from Montgomery County; and a 63-year-old woman from Taylor County.
“It’s going to be a hard month. Let’s make sure we don’t do things that are going to spread this virus because ultimately, they do take a real human toll,” said Gov. Beshear.
As of Friday, there have been at least 803,198 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.18%, unchanged from yesterday. At least 9,448 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
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. To see all recent daily reports, click here.
Week in Review
For more information on this week’s updates, including those on CARES funding for Western Kentucky, Central Kentucky and Northern Kentucky local governments; a new testing partnership with UK HealthCare; federal funding for public safety agencies; funding for new transit vehicles; the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment; correctional facilities; unemployment assistance; testing expansion with Kroger; the 2020 census; Meals on Wheels; the Kentucky State Fair opening day; Immunization Awareness Month and more go to governor.ky.gov/news.
More Information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and summaries of the Governor’s news conferences at teamkentuckytranslations.com.
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