LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This is a weekly blog with daily updates on COVID-19 numbers and other related content in Kentucky for the week of January 18, 2021. Governor Andy Beshear is scheduled to give live updates on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m.
Sunday, January 24
The COVID-19 positivity rate continues to trend downward, according to state officials.
Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed 2,018 positive cases of the virus statewide while Jefferson County reported 346.
Their daily data report also shows 319 cases were found in those 18 years old and younger.
He said the positivity rate fell to 10.24%.
Thirty-five deaths were confirmed, bringing the total 3,421 Kentuckians who lost their lives to the virus.
Hospitalizations fell with 1,540 reported, 371 in intensive care and 218 on a ventilator.
Kentucky has recorded 346,586 total cases since tracking began last year.
Saturday, January 23
For a second day in a row, Kentucky’s COVID-19 positivity rate continues its dip below 11% as the state reports 3,795 new positive cases Saturday.
Jefferson County also reported 603 cases included in the count and it brings their overall total to 62,933 cases countywide.
Officials reported 49 new deaths associated with the virus in the Commonwealth.
Other numbers
- Hospitalizations - 1,604; 403 in intensive care; 209 on a ventilator.
- The positivity rate is at 10.56%.
- 3,902,918 have been tested
- 41,633 recovered from the virus
Kentucky has reported 344,568 positive cases and 3,386 deaths since tracking the virus began in March 2020.
Friday, January 22
Gov. Beshear announced 2,756 new COVID-19 cases Friday, with Jefferson County reported 445 of the day's cases. There were also 36 deaths, bringing the statewide total to 3,337 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The state's positivity currently rate sits at 10.8%, the lowest rate since Jan. 2.
"I see people wearing masks now more than ever and engaging in social distancing when they can. Keep it up," Beshear said. "We are going to beat this virus in 2021. We’ve just got to protect everyone until we get there."
There are 1,561 Kentuckians currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 195 of them are on ventilators.
Thursday, January 21
Governor Beshear announced 3,728 new cases of COVID-19 and 58 more deaths. The total number of Kentuckians lost to the virus is now 3,301.
On Friday, those who have died from the virus in Kentucky will be memorialized during a ceremony on Kentucky Capitol grounds. The governor said an American flag will be placed for each person lost.
There are currently 1,604 patients hospitalized, 395 in ICU and 209 on ventilators.
The state's test positivity rate is 11.05% and 116 counties are in the red zone.
The pandemic has increased the need for reliable internet with telehealth, virtual learning, remote work and more. Thursday, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman discussed moving forward with the state's goal of providing reliable internet access to all Kentuckians. She announced the first step in the Kentucky Broadband Initiative will be a Wi-Fi speed test. All Kentuckians, regardless of location, are asked to participate in a quick, free, anonymous speed test which will help the state assess which areas they need to focus on. The test can be found online at ewdc.ky.gov/initiatives/pages/kbi.aspx .
Governor Beshear also said the state's eviction moratorium will be extended once with the federal government's eviction moratorium is official.
Wednesday, January 20
Governor Beshear announced 3,433 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky and 49 more deaths.
The counties of Jefferson, Fayette, Kenton, Boone, Warren and Daviess are among those with the most positive cases, each reporting more than 120 new cases.
The governor said the state's test positivity rate has been below 12% for the fifth day in a row.
“While there is still so much pain and darkness in our commonwealth due to this pandemic, we are beginning to see the light ahead of us,” Gov. Beshear said in a release. “This plateauing positivity rate is great news for Kentucky, especially as we continue to bring more of these live-saving vaccines to our people each week.”
Kentucky's test positivity rate is currently 11.29%.
There are 1,678 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 399 in ICU and 205 on ventilators.
Tuesday, January 19
Gov. Andy Beshear has announced 2,250 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday.
Beshear said this is the second lowest number seen on a Tuesday in two weeks.
Within the new report, Jefferson County confirmed 312 cases.
Twenty-seven deaths were reported, bringing the total to 3,194.
Beshear also announced other numbers including hospitalizations. He says there are currently 1,633 patients with COVID-19 admitted, 442 in ICU and 208 on a ventilator.
He also confirmed 1,214 students and 500 staff tested positive last week.
The state is nearing 3.8 million Kentuckians that have been tested for the virus.
Kentucky has confirmed 330,907 positive cases since last March.
Officials also discussed vaccinations for the state.
The governor said the state gave 83,212 1st and 2nd dose vaccines last week; He said the state will receive another 56,175 next week.
Dr. Steven Stack said that about 1,500 sites in the state want to open as a vaccine site but there's not enough to go around to each of them.
Dr. Stack said the state’s goal is to complete vaccinations for school personnel. So far, 10 school districts have given their staff their first dose. He also said it's been a problem getting shots to the 70 and over crowd; All skilled nursing facilities statewide and two-thirds of assisted living facilities have been offered their first shots from either Walgreens or CVS.
Gov. Beshear said he's requested double the amount of vaccines since the state has shown it could dispense them "efficiently."
Monday, January 18
Here's Monday's case information:
Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed 1,998 new cases and 40 deaths. Jefferson County also reported 342 new cases.
The positivity rate is at 11.64%.
An estimated 1,587 people are hospitalized, 397 in intensive care and 208 are on a ventilator.
Kentucky currently stands at 328,668 total positive cases confirmed and 3,167 deaths associated with the virus.
VACCINE INFORMATION
Kentucky is following a phased approach to distributing the COVID-19 vaccine. Here is the current plan with an estimated timeline:
Phase 1A: Long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, health care personnel (Dec. 2020 - Winter 2021)
Phase 1B: First responders, anyone age 70 or older, K-12 school personnel (January 2021 - Spring 2021)
Phase 1C: Anyone age 60 or older, anyone age 16 or older with CDC highest risk C19 risk conditions, all essential workers (Spring 2021 - Summer 2021)
Phase 2: Anyone age 40 or older (Late Summer 2021 - Winter 2021)
Phase 3: Anyone age 16 or older (Fall 2021 - Winter 2021)
Phase 4: Children under the age of 16 if the vaccine is approved for that age group
Kroger is working with the state to set up vaccination clinics starting Feb. 1. Anyone in Phase 1 of Kentucky's vaccination plan will be able to receive the vaccine through Kroger. The company plans to release more information on these sites on Jan. 28.