Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Kentucky now number 2,048, Gov. Andy Beshear reported at his daily briefing.
Beshear said 87 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in Kentucky the previous 24 hours. The governor said seven new deaths are blamed on the virus, increasing the death toll in Kentucky to 104.
Kentucky’s 5.1 percent fatality rate is considerably higher than the U.S. fatality rate of 4.0 percent: 586,057 cases and 23,406 COVID-19 deaths. Applying Kentucky’s fatality rate to the nation would result in 29,302 deaths in the U.S.
The newly reported deaths include four women from Jefferson County, ages 67, 70, 81 and 84; an 81-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 70-year-old man from Laurel County; and an 81-year-old woman from Muhlenberg County.
“We have gone over 2,000 cases today, which we always expected to do,” Beshear said. “But it is another benchmark that says this is a very serious virus. … we have now lost more than 100 Kentuckians to the coronavirus.
Beshear ordered all flags at state buildings lowered to half-staff until sundown Monday, April 20.
“Every Kentuckian we lose is one of us,” he said. “Even if a report is one or two, it is still a loss to all of us.”
To date, at least 26,683 people have been tested, according to Beshear, with at least 673 people hospitalized and 299 currently hospitalized. At least 259 victims have been treated in the ICU, with at least 136 people currently being treated in intensive care units.
The governor said 629 (30.7 percent) victims have recovered from the virus.
Beshear offered an update on the racial breakdown of COVID-19 patients, which has been the subject of news stories across the country.
He said 70 percent of the known COVID-19 cases reveal that:
81.9 percent of Kentuckians who tested positive have been Caucasian
11.2 percent African American
4.4 percent multiracial
2.4 percent Asian
.08 percent Native American or Alaskan Native
The fatality numbers show that:
77.7 percent of Kentucky’s fatal cases have been Caucasian
21.2 percent African American
1.2 percent Asian
“It’s very concerning that the death rate is disproportional to the total African American population,” Beshear said. “I believe health care is a basic right. And what we’re seeing right now is that people die when they don’t have access to adequate health care. More must be done.”
Expanded testing
After announcing Sunday that a state-sponsored drive-thru testing site, in partnership with Kroger, is now open in Franklin County, on Monday Beshear said a second drive-thru testing site would open Wednesday in Kenton County, in northern Kentucky.
The site has a daily testing goal of 250 per day and Kentuckians can sign up for testing by going to thelittleclinic.com/drivethru-testing, or by calling 888-852-2567 (select option 1, then option 3).
The testing is free of charge. The overall goal of the Kroger partnership is to conduct 20,000 tests over the next five weeks. Test results are expected within about 48 hours.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
