(Kentucky Health News graphic)
The spread of the coronavirus continued to accelerate slowly in Kentucky Saturday, with 825 new cases, the fourth largest daily number of the pandemic, and creating its third highest seven-day total. The number of cases has increased every day since Monday, a day when numbers are usually low.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 659. It has increased nine days of the last 10, and the only decrease was by 1.
“Thankfully, our positivity rate is still below five at 4.59%,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a press release, referring to the share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the last seven days. For all but one day of the last week, it has been below 5%, a key threshold in suppressing the virus.
Beshear said, “Please do your part, live for your fellow human being, and understand that we are all connected and that your decisions truly matter.”
The release reported 145 new cases among Kentuckians 18 and younger, 15 of them age 5 or younger, including two who are 8 months old.
Three more deaths were reported, all from Lincoln County: an 86-year-old woman and men, 81 and 94.
“That’s one county grieving three losses of its own,” Beshear said. “That’s three more families who are suffering during this time.”
Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack looked ahead to an unusual Kentucky Derby Week. “Now is the time to consider how you will celebrate Oaks, Derby and Labor Day in a way that allows you to share time with others while respecting the required masking and social distancing protocols,” he said.
“As you may recall, as the number of new cases was leveling off months ago, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July resulted in celebrations and mingling. A noticeable spike in the number of positive covid-19 cases followed. Then, the mask mandate went into effect and Kentuckians took extra care in social distancing and avoiding visits to other states known as ‘hot spots.’ This successfully plateaued our new weekly cases.”
Stack warned, “If the running of the Oaks, the Kentucky Derby and Labor Day activities reflect other summer holidays, though, cases will spike again and Kentucky will have a setback to the progress we have made by working together. Please, let’s show we can learn from the other holidays. Let’s not slip and lose progress against our fight against the coronavirus.”
Eighty of the state’s 120 counties had a new case Saturday. Counties reporting more than five were Jefferson, 263; Warren, 65; Fayette, 49; Todd, 29; Madison, 26; Boone, 14; Hardin, 14; Pike, 14; McCracken, 13; Lewis, 12; Pulaski, 12; Jessamine, 11; Bath, Daviess, Kenton and Monroe, 9 each; Bell, Boyd, Campbell, Hopkins, Logan and Montgomery, 8 each; Christian, Harlan, Jackson, Laurel and Oldham, 7 each; Barren, Green, Hart, Nelson, Rowan and Shelby, 6 each.
In other COVID-19 news Saturday:
- Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Kentucky remained steady, at 570, with 149 of the patients in intensive care.
- The state’s highest court now has all the written arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of Beshear’s emergency orders, reports the Lexington Herald-Leader . The court will hear oral arguments Sept, 17 “and then will decide what is certain to be a historic case ,” Jack Brammer writes. “It is not known how long it will take the Supreme Court to make a decision. At stake are dozens of emergency orders ranging from a requirement for most Kentuckians to wear a mask in public to class size in child care centers.”
- “Experts across the U.S. say the country can mount a comeback if it embraces reality and taps into its ingenuity,” National Geographic headlines a story by Craig Welch, who writes, “First, we must knuckle down and accomplish the obvious: Continue social distancing and strive for universal mask use. Close high-risk spaces, such as churches, bars, and casinos. Spend time outdoors. Limit crowds. Wash our hands. Build up contact tracing. … But given national failures thus far, many experts are also pushing for a new way forward based on innovation — specifically, cheaper, faster tests that millions could take at home every day. We’re still just beginning that process.”
(Kentucky Health News is an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.)
Al Cross is professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Kentucky. He was the longest-serving political writer for the Louisville Courier Journal (1989-2004) and national president of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2001-02. He joined the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2010. The NKyTribune is the home for his commentary which is also offered to other publications.
