‘We are at war,’ Beshear says after record week of cases

By TOM LATEK, Kentucky Today

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – It looks like this week could be the highest when it comes to new cases of the coronavirus, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
“Saturday’s COVID report unfortunately suggests this is going to be the highest week of total cases that we’ve ever had, though our positivity rate is going down a little bit,” he said.  “Folks, this thing is real. We are at war with it and we are going to have to be the strong, resilient and also patient Kentuckians that we are to make sure that we prevent loss of life, that we promote health and that we protect our children, that we should never, ever experiment with.”
Gov. Beshear said there have now been at least 38,930 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 638 of which were newly reported Saturday, which was down slightly from the 679 on Friday.  17 of the newly reported cases were from children age 5 and younger.
The governor highlighted how more young Kentuckians are testing positive, especially in the hot spots, as the new school year approaches. “When you look at how hard children are being hit now, 322 people under the age of 18 have tested positive since the beginning of this in Warren County alone.”
He also reported six new deaths Saturday, which include two men from Jefferson County, ages 71 and 85, as well as; a 57-year-old woman from Jefferson County; a 74-year-old man from Graves County; a 72-year-old man from Nicholas County, and an 89-year-old man from McCracken County.  This raises the total to 810 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
As of Saturday, at least 754,985 tests had been administered. The COVID-19 testing positive rate stood at 5.45% and is based on a seven-day rolling average, taking into account the total positive tests reported by laboratories divided by total tests reported by labs. The number of Kentuckians who have recovered stood at 9,091.
Dr. Steven Stack, State Public Health Commissioner, said, “We all have crucial roles to play in the battle against the novel coronavirus.  Now, more than ever, we have to renew our commitment to work together to protect ourselves, our friends, our families, and our communities. This week outpaced the number of new cases last week and, if we become complacent, our hard-fought containment of the coronavirus could slip from our grasp.”
He added, this is a matter to be taken seriously.  “Every person who avoids crowds, wears a face covering in public, maintains a social distance of at least six feet, and frequently washes their hands makes essential and invaluable contributions to our ability to fight this pandemic. If we all do these things consistently, we can suppress COVID-19 enough to more safely open schools and engage in many activities so important to our lives.”
The Governor has said he plans his next press briefing at 4 p.m., ET, on Monday.
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration on the response to the pandemic at kycovid19.ky.gov.