LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Gov. Andy Beshear announced 807 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing Kentucky's total to 49,185. He also announced 15 new deaths, the highest number of deaths in a single day since May, increasing the total to 948.
"We've got a lot of cases out there; we want less," Beshear said. "We've also got a lot of testing out there, which means we're finding a lot more."
Beshear has cautioned residents to expect a significant number of COVID-19 deaths following a surge of cases in late July. Around 1.93% of the people who have contracted COVID-19 in Kentucky have died.
At least 552 Kentuckians are currently hospitalized with the virus, 138 of whom are in intensive care. The official rate of positive tests is 4.4%, a number that has been below 5% for a full week.
Beshear also announced he will not attend the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Traditionally, the governor presents the trophy to the winner of the race, but Beshear said he will do a video presentation of the trophy.
"I want to make sure I don't put myself as governor ahead of the people of Kentucky," Beshear said. "If we're asking the people of Kentucky to watch it at home, I'm going to watch it at home, too."
There are 610 active cases of COVID-19 among nursing home residents and 354 active cases among nursing home staff members. The 554 nursing home deaths account for 58% of coronavirus-related deaths in Kentucky.
At least 174 students and 68 staff members have active cases of COVID-19 at K-12 schools, some of which have had to switch to online-only classes due to cases of the virus.
Beshear announced 410 new cases among students at colleges and universities, bringing the total number of active cases to 647.
Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky's public health commissioner, said hospitals have good capacity and are operating well even as more people are engaging in public activities that expose them to more risk of contracting the virus.
But he cautioned that the state is still hovering at a relatively high plateau and that the number of cases aren't decreasing. He said we are "operating a little hot" and that it could mean a larger impact if the disease starts spreading faster.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department noted that eight of the days with the highest number of new cases since the pandemic began came in the month of August. On Tuesday, the health department announced 67 new cases and 2 new deaths in Lexington.
Stack warned that the state saw a surge in cases following Memorial Day and the Fourth of July and asked people to celebrate Labor Day weekend responsibly.
"Enjoy each other, enjoy the horse races, but also make sure you do it safely and responsibly," Stack said.
Beshear said Tuesday the state will extend its contract with Ernst and Young to help process unemployment claims through the end of the year. So far, the company has helped process 141,000 claims, according to Beshear, and the state has paid the company at least $12 million through federal CARES Act money. The company will likely collect almost $5 million more through the remainder of the year.
"We focus a lot on what's coming out of the bucket and not realize what's coming in." Beshear said, referencing the focus on how many claims have been processed.
Republican leaders in the Kentucky Senate held a news conference Tuesday calling for a special law-making session to deal with criminal justice issues. Beshear said he would be open to a special session if there is legislation he could get behind, such as a bill to ban no-knock warrants that Senate President Robert Stivers, a Manchester Republican, has said he will propose but has not yet released.
Beshear attributed some of the increased shootings among teenagers in Lexington to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of structure that has come with unemployment and the shut down of in-person activities.
"I know the community leaders are working hard on it," he said.
