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Kentucky up to 7,935 cases of COVID-19, 346 deaths

Posted at 5:17 PM, May 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-18 18:17:27-04

FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear announced during his Monday press conference that there are 122 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky and that the state's total currently sits at 7,935.

Out of the 7,935 individuals to test positive for COVID-19 in Kentucky, 2,785 have made a full recovery. There are also 277 individuals currently in the ICU.

"That is a number I'm watching," Beshear said of the number of individuals in ICU. "I know there is a number of those that are from the federal prison in Lexington, but that is a number that has gone up over the last several days."

Beshear also announced that there were 12 coronavirus-related deaths in Kentucky over the weekend, bringing the state's coronavirus-related death total to 346.

COVID-19-related inflammatory syndrome in children

There are now four children in Kentucky to have the COVID-19-related inflammatory syndrome found in children. They are a five-year old that went into the hospital on Saturday and is now home, an 11-year-old currently hospitalized, the initial 10-year-old still in ICU but no longer intubated and a 16-year-old that was able to go home.

Testing ramping up in long term care facilities

Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack announced that testing for COVID-19 in long-term care facilities will be ramped up.

"This is our most vulnerable population in society because they are both confined in the nursing home and they are elderly," Stack said. "In the United States, more than 80% of deaths have been in people over 65 years of age."

There will be testing at 23 long-term care facilities in Kentucky this week. Stack said they hope to test close to 3,000 combined residents and staff members.