There were 38 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kentucky reported between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, Gov. Andy Beshear announced at his daily briefing on Sunday.
Beshear said the low number of newly reported cases of the virus is due to many of the labs that perform COVID-19 testing being closed Sunday. There are now 955 confirmed cases of the virus in Kentucky. According to Beshear, 306 patients have recovered (32 percent).
Two of the newly identified coronavirus cases are residents of River’s Bend Retirement Community in Kuttawa, in Lyon County, Beshear said.
The governor said five more people have died as a result of contracting COVID-19, increasing the state’s total to 45. Kentucky’s fatality rate is now 4.7 percent (a slightly elevated percentage likely due to all deaths being reported Sunday, but not all positive tests being sent to the Kentucky Department of Public Health).
The five deaths reported Sunday include an 80-year-old female, 66-year-old female and 54-year-old female from Jefferson County, a 90-year-old woman from Woodford County, and 55-year-old female from McLean County.
Jefferson County leads the state with 20 COVID-19-related fatalities. The state’s most populous county also leads Kentucky with 313 coronavirus cases (32.8 percent of the state’s total cases).
“As a country, we’re entering a period where we have to prepare ourselves for quite the significant loss of life on a massive scale,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer warned Sunday.
Beshear noted infectious disease experts are projecting a possible peak in Kentucky’s COVID-19 cases in early May, as he reinforced the importance of hand washing, staying home and social distancing.
The governor said the White House, “based on a population,” estimates 1,300 to 3,200 coronavirus deaths in Kentucky, but Beshear said he believes those numbers are “optimistic.”
COVID ACT NOW is projecting 47,000 deaths in Kentucky if there is limited action to prevent the spread of the virus; 13,000 deaths in three months if there is “poor compliance” in following guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus; and 2,000 deaths if the state has strict compliance to stay home for three months.
“We can’t allow 11,000 people to die because we didn’t follow the rules enough,” Beshear said. “Your specific actions make a difference. We’re going to have to start cracking down on those who don’t willfully comply” with social distancing and other guidelines in place to help reduce the spread of the virus.
“You individually have more control during this crisis than probably ever before in our history,” Beshear noted. “It really shouldn’t take this,” he said about issuing executive orders designed to force people to comply.
Beshear said people can go out for groceries and supplies and, when practicing social distancing, for walks or other exercise in their neighborhood, but otherwise need to stay at home.
Citizens may donate personal protective equipment (PPE) through a central location: 833-GIVE-PPE (833-448-3773) or giveppe.ky.gov. You may also donate PPE at all 16 Kentucky State Police posts across the state and at the KYTC district offices in Louisville and Lexington.
Kentuckians who have any questions about coronavirus in the area were asked to call the COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-722-5725.
Correction — On Saturday, I reported non-compliant Maryville Baptist Church is in the Hillview section of Jefferson County when the church is actually located in the Hillview section of Bullitt County, near the Jefferson County line. And yes, the church held in-person services Sunday morning and Sunday evening.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
