Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed the commonwealth’s second-highest daily increase in coronavirus cases at a media briefing Tuesday.
Beshear announced 674 new coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide total to 24,060. That number comes from a total number of tests at 549,208. Beshear said the commonwealth’s positivity rate is at a seven-day rolling average of 4.37%.
Western Kentucky counties including McCracken, Henderson and Daviess reported double-digit increases. Twenty-two children under five tested positive throughout the state.
Three Kentuckians died from coronavirus-related complications Tuesday. Beshear said the total number of virus deaths now sits at 674. Tuesday’s deaths include a 63-year-old man from Calloway County. Kentucky’s mortality rate remains stable at three percent.
Hospitalization numbers remain stable, but Beshear said increasing virus cases can quickly jeopardize the number of available hospital beds. The number of hospitalized Kentucky coronavirus patients is 532, with 136 Kentuckians battling the virus in intensive care units (ICUs). Kentucky’s total number of recoveries from COVID-19 is 6,927.
Lt. Gov. and Education and Workforce Development Secretary Jacqueline Coleman provided an update on the state’s “Healthy at School” initiative. Coleman said she is asking U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to encourage Congress to provide more funding for public schools in the commonwealth as they work to safely reopen amidst growing virus cases.
Find more information concerning Kentucky’s response to COVID-19 here.
