New coronavirus cases dip, positive rate up; Beshear hopes church is example

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The state’s new confirmed coronavirus cases Sunday and Monday dipped from the high numbers of the previous two weeks, but the positive test results are still up from three weeks ago.

During his regular briefing Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear said the state had 70 new cases confirmed Sunday and another 120 Monday, pushing the overall state total to 11,476 since March 6.

The state has had two deaths in those two days.

The state has confirmed 285,358 tests. Of the total number of cases, 486 people remain in the hospital, which is up. Also, 76 also are in intensive care, which also is up slightly from last week.

“Those are numbers we are watching closely,” Beshear said.

A total of 3,359 people have recovered.

Of the new cases, 61 have been in Jefferson County, 48 are in Fayette, and a few have been in Woodford, Clark, Bourbon, Clay, Scott, and Edmonson, among others.

Beshear noted the positive tests rate increased from 2.07 percent three weeks ago to 2.56 percent two weeks ago to 2.93 percent last week. And while that increase “is being watched closely,” it is down from a rate that was about 9 percent on May 4.

When asked about the state’s case numbers increasing 25 percent in the last two weeks, the governor responded, “I do,” when asked whether he still was confident in the state’s economic re-opening strategy.

“More people are out, more people are going t have contacts so we are going to have more positives,” Beshear said.

“The positivity rate is still very low, but the extra contacts are showing up. WE have to be watching,” he continued.

When asked about the coronavirus outbreak at Clays Mill Baptist Church in Jessamine County during the last two weeks, Beshear said he hopes other churches will “make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The pastor of the church stood on the Capitol steps earlier this year and encouraged Beshear to allow churches to reopen. The governor noted that point but didn’t dwell on it.

“It shows how hard it is” to control the virus and prevent it from spreading, Beshear noted of the difficulty the church had, despite steps it took.