State hits 3rd-highest COVID total heading into holiday

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The third-highest day for new coronavirus cases pushed the state’s total over the 50,000 case milestone, but it hasn’t dampened state leaders’ hopes of schools reopening at the end of the month and sporting events going forward.

But a holiday weekend is a reminder for Kentuckians to celebrate safely or all the things people enjoy doing could be at risk of a dangerous surge in coronavirus cases, Gov. Andy Beshear said during his daily briefing Thursday.

The state reported 906 new cases Thursday, pushing the state’s total to 50,885. Of the new cases, 124 were kids under 18.

Of the state’s 120 counties, 95 had at least one new cases Thursday, Beshear said, emphasizing the widespread nature of the virus. And several counties in the region saw double-digit numbers, including Fayette with 68 new cases, Madison with 66 new cases, Pulaski with 19 new cases, Franklin with 17, Jackson with 15 and Bell and Scott with 11 each.

“COVID is a once-in-100-year pandemic and we’ve got to take it seriously. We’re seeing a rough week this week,” said Beshear. ” While our positivity rate is going down, we’re still seeing some high numbers. Today we’re reporting 906 new cases of COVID-19. That’s our third-highest total since the very beginning.”

The state’s schools reported 67 new cases in students and 22 in faculty or staff. The new cases brought the number active cases among students to 273 and among faculty to 102. A total of 250 schools have at least one case associated with it.

The state also reported 10 additional deaths, bringing the total since March to 976.

The deaths include a 52-year-old man from Barren County; five women, ages 60, 72, 72, 79 and 85, and two men, ages 70 and 73, from Jefferson County; and an 88-year-old woman and 76-year-old man from Lewis County.

The good news is the state’s positivity rate dipped slightly from Wednesday to 4.53 percent and testing remains high in most parts of the state. The rate marked the eighth-straight day below 5 percent.

“We are on track for another record week. The increases aren’t as dramatic as they were in July or early August, but it’s not going down,” Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said.

“If we take our eye off the ball, we can be in trouble. We can enjoy each other’s company this weekend and do it safely,” he added, encouraging people to celebrate Labor Day, hold Kentucky Derby watch parties and other things but wear masks, social distance and keep gatherings small.

For 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.

Information about COVID-19 and schools is also being made available. To view the reports, click here for K-12 and here for colleges and universities.

On other subjects, the governor:

— announced that about 130 Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen will support the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby, just like they have in some form since the 1950s. The Governor said in recent years about 220 soldiers and airmen helped to provide public security during the Derby.

“This year, we’re going to have a smaller Guard presence,” said Beshear. “They’re going to operate traffic again and access control points that are not in the designated area of the organized protest. This is something that we have done every year.”

— said his staff plans to meet next week with police groups, the Black Legislative Caucus and other groups as part of the discussion of a possible special session of the Legislature to address possible police reforms.

“We want to try to listen and to try to foster some good common ground,” Beshear said.

— offered, along with Stack, an update on the expected timeline for COVID-19 vaccinations.

“KDPH, with Kentucky Emergency Management and local health departments, is working to create our plans in partnership with the federal government, as well as state and local governments, so that when a safe and reliable vaccine is available we can deploy that in a timely manner to everyone who is eligible for it,” said Dr. Stack. “But, I’ve said this repeatedly and I’ll say it again, there will not be a vaccine for virtually everybody this calendar year. There are some corners that cannot be cut.”

He also addressed newer testing methods, explaining, “There’s been a lot of discussion about different types of tests, trying to get more rapid tests, and there’s some exciting science and possibilities in this. But they are not a panacea. They can be useful tools.”

The vaccine issue arose because the CDC suggested Thursday states should start preparing to distribute and administer vaccines as early as late October or early November.

“We don’t see any path to do a vaccine before the beginning of the year,” Beshear reiterated later, at he same time praising the federal government for its efforts to get a vaccine in what still would be a record time if it is available early next year. “I don’t see a scenario for late October or early November. We can’t and shouldn’t do something that is going to damage public confidence.”

— said he doesn’t “see restaurants returning to 100 percent capacity until we have a vaccine or a really successful treatment.”