Gov. Andy Beshear announced at his daily briefing on Thursday that 159 new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases have been diagnosed in Kentucky.
The state now has at least 2,429 confirmed cases of the virus. The governor said eight new deaths were reported over the previous 24 hours, increasing Kentucky’s death toll to 129 (5.3 percent fatality rate).
The new deaths blamed on the virus were in Jefferson, Graves, Shelby, Jackson, and Adair counties. The victims range in age from 67 to 92.
New COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in 44 Kentucky counties including nearby Ohio, Daviess, Warren, Hancock, Barren, and Hardin counties. One of the newly confirmed cases is a 10-day-old baby in Lincoln County.
Beshear said 29,747 people in the commonwealth have been tested for the virus, with 956 (39.4 percent) of the 2,429 victims fully recovered. He said 971 (40 percent) victims have been hospitalized, with 506 (20.8 percent) people at some point undergoing treatment in the ICU.
Currently, 477 victims are hospitalized with 333 patients being treated in intensive care.
Beshear, warning Kentuckians that Friday’s newly confirmed cases could represent the largest number of new cases yet, said, “Tomorrow we’ll expect to have our largest number of cases.”
New testing sites
The governor announced the state will set up four more drive-thru testing sites across the commonwealth, in addition to sites in Frankfort and Kenton County, which opened earlier this week.
The new testing sites will be in Madisonville, Paducah, Somerset, and Pikeville. The sites will be open from April 21 until April 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Check eligibility and sign up at https://t.co/pxL44EgFSG.
“This is exciting, as we’re able to build up our capacity,” Beshear said about increased testing capabilities. “Now what we will expect to see are more cases. We ought to be ready for that, we know they’re out there. But as we build up this capacity, it’s certainly going to help us as we move into what the new normal will be.”
He said the state plans to perform 330 tests per day, per location at the four additional testing sites. The goal of the new testing locations is to perform 20,000 tests over the next five weeks.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
