LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky health officials announce coronavirus updates every weekday around 4 p.m. Gov. Andy Beshear gives a press conference once a week.
Sunday, July 19
6:30 p.m.
Kentucky sees highest single-day total of cases yet
The state of Kentucky has seen its largest number of coronavirus cases reported in a single-day with 979.
In a report released Sunday, Gov. Andy Beshear said at least 30 of those cases were from children under 5-years-old.
“We have got to defeat this virus. We are at war and we are in the trenches,” Gov. Beshear said in a statement. “I have faith and I have trust in the people of Kentucky. But today and in the days ahead we’ve got to do a whole lot better. We’re going to have to take some more action.”
The statewide total of confirmed cases since the pandemic began is at 23,161.
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Department of Public Health called the numbers “particularly alarming.”
“In the interest of accuracy, we are going to reach out and confirm results with some of the major labs. Even so, this surge in positive cases is a shocking wake-up call. Kentucky has flattened the curve before and it must act immediately and decisively to flatten it again. Please, wear your mask and socially distance.”
Three new deaths were reported bringing the total to 670 Kentuckians who have succumbed to the virus.
“This ought to be a wake-up call for everybody. This is a rough day for the commonwealth,” Gov. Beshear said. “Thirty children under five who have tested positive. Thirty families whose parents and caregivers are hurting more than anything we can imagine.”
Govenor Beshear said he will return with daily updates beginning Monday at 4 p.m. since numbers are increasing.
Saturday, July 18
5 p.m.
Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentucky is in “dangerous times” as the state reported its second-highest, single-day total of 583 coronavirus cases.
Kentucky has confirmed 22,184 positive cases overall.
“That means this is a dangerous time and it can’t be explained away by our increase in tests,” Gov. Beshear said in a released statement. “We’ve got to be careful. We’ve got to make sure that we are wearing our facial coverings, because today’s cases are a reflection of 14 days ago before we mandated those. This is what it’s going to take if we want to save our economy and save lives and get our kids back in school, it’s really that simple.”
Nine more deaths were reported Sunday which also included a 93-year-old Jefferson County woman. The state has lost 667 people to the virus.
State officials say 529,481 tests have been given and at least 6,824 have recovered from the virus.
Friday, July 17
4 p.m.
State health officials have reported 531 new COVID-19 cases, the third highest daily cases since the coronavirus pandemic started. Gov. Andy Beshear said the second highest day was July 14.
Beshear also announced eight additional deaths, including a 73-year-old man and 60-year-old woman from Jefferson County.
In total, Kentucky has seen 21,605 COVID-19 cases and 653 deaths. Currently, 452 people are hospitalized with 89 in ICUs.
The governor also spoke about his executive orders, which the Kentucky Supreme Court ordered will stay in effect until its ruling. Beshear said he was "relieved" to hear the orders will still be in effect through the weekend.
Thursday, July 16
4 p.m.
Governor Andy Beshear gave updated COVID-19 case numbers:
- 413 new cases
- 21,083 total cases
- 570,197 tests
- 418 in hospital
- 92 in ICU
- 5 additional deaths
- 650 total deaths
The governor said Kentucky's case positivity rate is now 4.38%.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a motion asking the Boone Circuit Court judge to prohibit Beshear from issuing or enforcing any executive orders surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Beshear called that the greatest threat in Kentucky he has seen since the start of the pandemic.
"You can't take all of our ammunition away and say, 'Good luck with the enemy,'" Beshear said.
The governor also announced $5.5 million in CARES Act funding will be going to 22 local governments in eastern Kentucky.
10:30 a.m.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer held a media address online to provide updates to the city's response to COVID-19. Fischer was joined by Dr. Sarah Moyer among others.
The city of Louisville has reported 4,657 total confirmed cases with 70 new cases as of July 15. There has also been 229 deaths total with two additional deaths on July 15.
Fischer noted the increase of cases in the recent weeks.
“We’re seeing a doubling in the new cases,” Fischer said.
The biggest development revealed was the addition of a dashboard on the city's COVID-19 webpage that maps out up-to-date information.
The dashboard, which was debuted by Chief of Civic Innovation and Technology Grace Simrall, shows total cases, deaths and recovered. A zip code map is also shown.
Wednesday, July 15
Gov. Beshear announced 477 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 20,677 cases.
The governor also reported 10 new deaths, including a 67-year-old man from Hardin County as well as two men, ages 70 and 73, and a 67-year-old woman from Jefferson County. In total, 645 Kentuckians have died.
As cases continue to rise, Beshear and Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said people need to continue to follow guidelines like wearing masks and washing their hands.
"The climbing number of positive cases is tough news," Stack said. "The size of the impact on our lives and potential loss of human lives, however, is not outside our influence. Wear a face mask. Keep a social distance of at least six feet. Thoroughly wash your hands."
As of Wednesday, there have been at least 498,179 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 4.62%. At least 5,475 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
Tuesday, July 14
"We are in a time of escalating cases," a concerned Governor Andy Beshear sad during his Tuesday briefing.
Beshear confirmed 576 new COVID-19 cases for the state, pushing the overall total number of cases confirmed to 20,233.
The governor also said 9 kids under the age of 5, including an 11-month-old, were among the newly confirmed positive cases.
Six more Kentuckians have succumbed due to the virus which pushes the current total to 635.
494,343 have been tested in the Commonwealth.
Monday, July 13
4 p.m.
The governor provided new case totals for COVID-19. He reported 277 new cases, bringing the total number in the state to 19,653. The current positivity rate is 4.35%.
Four more deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths related to the virus to 629.
So far, 480,372 tests have been administered. The governor said Kentucky has purchased plenty of tested and urged more people to go get tested.
The state is seeing a number of cases in daycare centers across the state. Currently, 20 staff and nine children in Kentucky daycare centers are positive for COVID-19.
2:41 p.m.
Governor Beshear announced $3,667,367 in CARES Act money has been granted to 15 local governments in western Kentucky. The money will aid in COVID-19 related expenses in the following counties: Allen, Ballard, Butler, Crittenden, Graves, Hancock, Hart, Livingston, Lyon, Trimble, Bardwell, Caneyville, Dixon, Madisonville and Russellville.
“Our local governments have been life lines in our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why this funding is so important,” said Gov. Beshear in a press release.
11 a.m.
The governor's office announced Gov. Andy Beshear will be holding a coronavirus briefing at 4 p.m. today. The governor usually holds a conference once a week on Tuesday, but has recently held briefings more frequently as case totals rise in the state. As of Sunday, there were over 19,000 positive cases confirmed in Kentucky and 625 deaths related to the virus.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.