FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Saturday, Governor Andy Beshear reported 1,738 new cases of COVID-19, in addition to 8 new deaths.
This is the highest total of newly reported cases in Kentucky besides the one day when a Fayette County backlog of cases was added.
“In a word, frightening," said Governor Beshear on Saturday's report.
The positivity rate is now at 5.63%.
“This is exploding all over the country. Yesterday was the highest amount of cases ever reported in a single day in the United States,” said Gov. Beshear.
Governor Beshear says on Monday, he will be discussing new recommendations for counties that are in the red zone.
"We've got to tamp down these cases. The more cases, the more people that end up in the hospital and the more people die," said Gov. Beshear.
Right now, the governor reports 840 Kentuckians with COVID-19 are hospitalized. 208 of those patients are currently in an ICU, and 107 are on a ventilator.
As for the weekly total, Kentucky has now surpassed the total from last week by more than 500 cases. There's still one more day of results still left to count this week.
“We’re all tired of COVID-19 and the problems it has brought,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Department for Public Health. “People are hurting, whether from the virus itself or the impact it has had on the rest of our lives. It’s all worse, though, when we don’t do simple things like wearing masks and socially distancing. As October comes to a close, please be kind to each other and remember that we help each other, and ourselves, when we focus on defeating the virus rather than arguing with each other.”
