Gov. Andy Beshear, at his coronavirus (COVID-19) briefing on Thursday, reported only 69 new cases of the virus had been diagnosed in Kentucky, but noted a “backlog in the federal system” for the inordinately low number.
The new cases raise the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 11,945.
“There is a backlog in the federal system that we put our results into and, because of that, a significant number of results that would have come in today are going to come tomorrow,” Beshear said. “So, our number today is really low but you should not read anything into that.”
The governor reported nine new deaths Thursday, increasing Kentucky’s death toll to 493 (4.1 percent fatality rate) victims.
The deaths reported Thursday include three men, ages 74, 80 and 85, from Boone County; a 69-year-old man from Fayette County; a 75-year-old man from Gallatin County; 68- and 93-year-old men from Jefferson County; and a 63-year-old woman and 81-year-old man from Kenton County.
Officials said 2,406 (20.1 percent) patients have been hospitalized with the virus, with 514 people currently in a hospital. To date, 967 (8.1 percent) victims have been admitted to the ICU, with 81 people currently in intensive care.
At least 3,379 (28.3 percent) Kentuckians have recovered from the virus, and 308,786 tests have been conducted.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
