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Kentucky sees largest, single week for new cases of COVID-19, governor says

Gov. Andy Beshear said 4,503 cases of the virus was reported this week with 462 of them being reported on Sunday.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — This is a liveblog with real-time updates on COVID-19 in Kentucky. Governor Andy Beshear is expected to give updates every day at 4 p.m.

Sunday, August 30

 4:45 p.m.

Kentucky has seen its largest single week for new cases of COVID-19 after state officials revealed for 462 additional cases Sunday. It brings this week’s total to 4,503.

That means we have to do better. With this number of cases we see more people hospitalized, we see sadly more people being lost. So please wear your mask, please make good decisions. This is a time when this virus is spreading aggressively,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release.

Eighty of the new cases were found in the 18 and younger demographic along with 13 of those cases under 5-years-old. Officials reported a two-month-old as Sunday’s youngest confirmed case. 

Nine more people have also been lost to the virus, bringing the total to 930. 

As the country eyes the last official holiday of the summer, Dr. Steven Stack is warning people to be cautious and to keep social distancing in mind.

 “What might be considered in Kentucky a ‘trifecta of holidays’ begins this coming Friday,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Department for Public Health. “Enjoy watching the fillies on Oaks Day this Friday. Watch the Kentucky Derby, the 146th Run for the Roses, on Saturday. And, enjoy the entire Labor Day weekend. Just do it in ways that keep you and others safe,” he said.

Kentucky has reported 48,032 cases of coronavirus. 

Saturday, August 29

4:30 p.m.

Kentucky is reporting its fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases with 825 reported on Saturday.

Gov. Andy Beshear said 145 of those positive cases were found in the 18-years-old and under demographic. Fifteen of those cases were found in kids 5 and under with the youngest cases being two eight-month-old infants.

The governor said the positivity rate is below 5% at 4.59%

Three deaths were reported bringing the current total to 921 people lost to the virus.

With the Labor Day holiday, Oaks and Derby coming up next weekend, Dr. Steven Stack is urging people to consider how they will spend their time.

“If the running of the Oaks, the Kentucky Derby and Labor Day activities reflect other summer holidays, though, cases will spike again and Kentucky will have a setback to the progress we have made by working together. Please, let’s show we can learn from the other holidays. Let’s not slip and lose progress against our fight against the coronavirus.”

Kentucky has tested 871,811 people with 10,328 recovering from the virus.

The state has reported 47,577 coronavirus cases since tracking began in March.

FRIDAY, August 28

As of 4 p.m. Aug. 28, Gov. Beshear confirms there are 792 newly reported coronavirus cases. Of those cases, 114 are children ages 18 and younger; 27 were children ages 5 and under. The youngest was a 1-month-old from Green County.

Kentucky COVID-19 cases have reached 46,757 including the new data.

Beshear also reported eight more deaths bringing Kentucky's total number of coronavirus-related deaths to 918. 

There have been at least 860,738 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 4.50%. At least 10,266 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus, according to Kentucky leaders.

Thursday, August 27

Kentucky confirmed 775 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 45,978. Eight more deaths were also reported.

The state's test positivity rate remains below 5%, at 4.8% today. Governor Beshear encouraged Kentuckians to continue to get tested at one of the 230 testing locations available.

As of thursday, 573 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, 154 are in the ICU and 88 people are on ventilators.

The governor announced three new projects which will bring more the 250 jobs to the state - Clermont Distilling, HVAC Distributing LLC and Danieli Corp.

Wednesday, August 26

Kentucky confirmed 696 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 45,230 overall since March. Seven more deaths were also reported.

As of Wednesday, 839,454 tests have been administered and the test positivity rate has dropped to 4.64%

There are currently 606 people hospitalized with the virus, 146 in ICU and 96 on ventilators.

Governor Beshear and Dr. Steven Stack addressed changes to the CDC's testing guidance which suggests those who have been exposed to coronavirus may not need a test. Both Beshear and Stack recommended that those who are exposed to the virus should be tested.

RELATED: CDC updates guidance to say people exposed to coronavirus may not need testing

Tuesday, August 25

Kentucky confirmed 688 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 more deaths. Of the new cases, 96 of those are 18 and younger.

As of Tuesday, more than 831,000 tests have been administered. The state's test positivity rate is now at 5.07%.

There are currently active COVID-19 cases in 57 K-12 Kentucky students and 25 staff. Overall there have been 147 student cases and 35 staff cases. So far, 100 people have recovered.

In Kentucky colleges and universities, there are currently 235 active student cases and 15 active staff cases. Overall there have been 479 student cases and 44 staff cases. So far, 217 people have recovered.

The governor announced an $8 million investment for K-12 students internet access. The goal is for families to pay no more than $10 a month and the state will cover fees for many low income families. By September 15, the state hopes to narrow in providers that can make this possible.

The state announced conditional commutations for 646 incarcerated people who are medically vulnerable and convicted of non-violent, non-sexual offenses with less than six months remaining on their sentences.

Monday, August 24

Kentucky confirms 373 new COVID-19 cases and four new deaths.

Sixty-eight of the newly reported cases were from children ages 18 and younger, of which 14 were children ages 5 and under. The youngest was only 7 months old.

The deaths reported Monday include a 74-year-old man from Harlan County; an 82-year-old man and a 94-year-old woman from Jefferson County; and a 71-year-old woman from Marion County.

As of Sunday, there were 821,828 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate was at 4.76%

At least 9,544 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

Various Kentucky universities have over 223 active cases.

Gov. Beshear introduced “The Fast 4 at 4,” which will highlight a variety of issues of importance to Kentuckians and the commonwealth.

On Monday, he reminded voters they can now go to www.GoVoteKy.com to request an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 general election, if they are concerned about COVID-19 and voting.

“Voting is the bedrock principle of this democracy,” said Gov. Beshear. “The way that you are heard is to make sure you vote, and there are going to be more ways to vote now than ever before.”

The Governor asked all Kentuckians to remember to fill out the U.S. Census forms, which in addition to being mandated by the U.S. Constitution is crucial to states for funding.

He also reminded Kentuckians that the state issued a travel advisory in July that recommends people avoid visiting states with coronavirus case positivity rates of 15% or higher. Among the states currently exceeding that threshold, according to data from Johns Hopkins, are Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Nevada and Idaho. Anyone returning to Kentucky after visiting these places is asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Finally, Gov. Beshear asked Kentuckians to take advantage of the free COVID-19 testing available at sites throughout the commonwealth.

“There are testing options all over Kentucky,” the Governor said, “and there are options close to you. If you are going to engage in new activities or haven’t been tested in a while, please get tested.”

For information on more than 200 testing sites, click here.

Evictions
Gov. Beshear on Monday issued a new executive order to provide protections and clarity on the issues surrounding evictions during the coronavirus crisis. The Governor suspended evictions as the pandemic took hold. Gov. Beshear said the new executive order protects tenants and provides relief for eligible landlords.

“As this battle has taken many months, we now face three major concerns: one, wanting to make sure that people aren’t out on the street; two, wanting to make sure that these landlords aren’t bankrupted or aren’t being treated unfairly; and three, making sure that as people come out of this that they don’t have so much debt from their housing situation that they can’t ever dig out,” the Governor said. “We want a fair system that tries to address all three of these.”

Under the new order, landlords must give tenants 30 days’ notice of an intent to evict for nonpayment of rent. During that time, the landlord and tenant must meet and confer on a possible agreement. In addition, no penalties, late fees or interest can be charged related to nonpayment of rent from March 6 through the end of the year.

At the same time, Gov. Beshear said his administration is dedicating $15 million of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act money to create a Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund.

The fund will reimburse eligible landlords for missed rent payments and pay some advance rent to keep tenants in their homes. Kentuckians will be able to submit applications Sept. 9. More information about eligibility and how to apply will be forthcoming.

“Kentuckians cannot be Healthy at Home without a home,” said Gov. Beshear. “We want to help get people in a place where they’re not only still in their homes, but they’re not going to owe five or six months of rent when they come out of this.”

The Governor also pointed to other programs helping Kentuckians pay rent, including the Team Kentucky Fund, the Louisville/Jefferson County Eviction Prevention COVID-19 Relief Fund and the Kentucky Housing Corporation Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, which is awaiting funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Kentuckians seeking legal assistance can contact the Kentucky COVID-19 Legal Helpline or call toll-free: 833-540-0342. The service is sponsored by Kentucky’s Access to Justice Commission and the four Kentucky civil legal aid programs, AppalReD Legal Aid, Kentucky Legal Aid, Legal Aid of the Bluegrass and Legal Aid Society.

Lawyers who want to volunteer to provide direct legal assistance to Kentuckians in need during the pandemic can visit Together Lawyers Can.

Fall Sports Update
Gov. Beshear on Monday said the decision to allow fall sports to resume in the commonwealth comes with a heavy burden of responsibility from school and athletic officials entrusted with keeping student-athletes and others safe.

Last week, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) voted 16-2 to allow practices to begin today for the fall sports of cross county, field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball. Regular season games will begin Sept. 7, with football starting Sept. 11.

“Let me start by saying we’re not going to overturn that decision, and it’s not because I think it’s a good decision or a wise decision,” the Governor said. “But if we’re going to defeat this virus, we need people other than me all over Kentucky taking responsibility to make good and wise decisions.”

The Governor highlighted recent reports about athletes facing cardiac problems after COVID-19 infections. Dr. Curt Daniels, a cardiologist who is the director of the adolescent and adult congenital heart disease program and a professor of clinical internal medicine in pediatrics at Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, reported a study that found 10-13% of athletes with coronavirus had developed mild cases of myocarditis, which is inflammation of heart muscle.

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, reinforced the Governor’s message about sports and provided an update Monday about COVID-19 infections in young people.

“We’ve hit a new plateau, but if we take off from this level, it gets out of control much more quickly,” said Dr. Stack. “I hope that in Kentucky we can be more successful with youth sports than other places, but the outlook is not good. There’s a lot we don’t know about this disease. We don’t know some of the more silent but really serious harms that this disease causes.”

Price-Gouging Update
For a third time, Gov. Beshear signed an executive order prohibiting price gouging, extending consumer protections outlined in previous orders. This order will remain in effect for the duration of the state of emergency.

“The order protects Kentuckians from those who would take advantage of the pandemic by charging inflated prices for goods – goods like hand sanitizer, soap, cleaners and disinfectants,” said La Tasha Buckner, the Governor’s chief of staff and general counsel.

Eastern Kentucky Veterans Center
Today, Gov. Beshear said nine veterans and one staff member at Eastern Kentucky Veterans Center (EKVC) in Hazard have tested positive.

The Governor said the cases were confined to one hallway unit and the veterans’ cases were traced to one transport aide, who has left the hospital and is recovering at home.

Out of an abundance of caution, all veterans who have tested positive have been sent to Appalachian Regional Healthcare. The hospital has agreed to keep the veterans until either a negative test or 14 days have passed. EKVC is testing all veterans in that unit today, and the rest of the veterans in the facility tomorrow and Wednesday.

Some of the steps being taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 include: putting up a barrier between the two hall ways; consistent staffing; deep/terminal cleaning of the rooms; ongoing audits and re-training on all infection control procedures and personal protective equipment usage; cancellation of all non-essential appointments; continued testing and working closely with both the local health department and the Department for Public Health.

Remembrance
Gov. Beshear on Monday spoke about the loss of lifelong Carter County resident Rob Perry, who died last week at age 56 of COVID-19.

Chris Perry, Rob’s brother, is a state park manager and shared his brother’s story, stating “these past four weeks have been the worst of my life, not being by his side and not having the ability to say a proper goodbye.”

Chris said his brother was a devoted father, husband, son and brother, as well as a preacher dedicated to his community. He leaves behind his wife, Tawana, children, Tyler and Destiny, and his 80-year-old mother, Sonja.

Rob Perry’s family is asking that everyone honor his life by wearing a mask and maintaining social distance.

Protests planned for August 25

"Protests planned for tomorrow (August 25) are supposed to be peaceful, and we hope that KSP is in communication with LMPD....right now we anticipate peaceful protests and what we see are leadership out there, Louisville is pushing really hard for peaceful protests... to my knowledge, there is not a heightened presence... no national guard.... there are certain things that the national guard can do in the future with protecting certain buildings... " Beshear continued. "If they believe that is the best for that business or their personal safety, I don't want to tell them they can't do that... but I do want to say the protests are peaceful and a lot of support out there for these messages being made; and I hope these investigations can hurry up... I feel like emotions are seeping in... and the sooner and better we reaching  conclusion..... if you can't tell them the details, tell the steps and what you are waiting on...."

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