As of 4 p.m. July 13, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 19,653 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 272 of which were newly reported Monday.
The Governor warned against seeing too much positive in the relatively low number of new cases reported today, saying we often see fewer cases reported coming out of a weekend.
“We continue to see a rise in cases for children under five. Today we have 11 and the youngest is just four months old. This impacts our children, too,” said Gov. Beshear.
Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported four new deaths Monday, raising the total to 629 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The deaths reported Monday include two men, ages 60 and 79, and a 90-year-old woman from Fayette County, and a 77-year-old man from Warren County.
“We are continuing to see a significant number of 60-year-olds who continue to lose their lives to COVID-19. I hope none of us think that that is old,” said Gov. Beshear. “Let’s remember these families. At a time when cases are escalating and we’re seeing things in Florida that are just terrifying, let’s make sure that we’re giving people that comfort of being able to see those green lights and hear those bells in their neighborhood.”
As of Monday, there have been at least 480,372 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 5,344 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.
For a detailed look at coronavirus case information from Sunday, July 12, click here.
Gov. Beshear reminded all Kentuckians to take advantage of testing offered through the state’s partnership with Kroger.
“Not only are we back to a time when we’re seeing an increase in cases, we’re also back to a time where testing is a little more concerning. Many of the national labs out there are suddenly going back to the six-, seven-, eight-, nine-day turnaround times that we know are severely problematic,” said Gov. Beshear. “I want the people of Kentucky to know that we have already taken action and have made sure that we have purchased enough kits from here in Kentucky with commitments of a 48-hour turnaround time where we are not going to face that issue. We still need people to sign up and make sure you’re getting tested.”
This week’s Kroger testing sites are in Independence, Louisville and Lexington. Kentuckians can sign up for COVID-19 molecular diagnostic testing online. Tests are being conducted at the following sites:
Tuesday, July 14 – Thursday, July 16 – Summit View Academy, 5006 Madison Pike, Independence, KY 41051
Tuesday, July 14 – Friday, July 17 – Louisville Southern High School, 8620 Preston Highway, Louisville, KY 40219
Tuesday, July 14 – Friday, July 17 – Bluegrass Community and Technical College, 500 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40508
Gov. Beshear emphasized his priorities – protecting the health and safety of all Kentuckians, restarting our economy and opening our schools – and said wearing a mask is the most important step we all can take to achieve those goals.
“So, what do we have to do? What are the actions that we have to take to protect our economy, to make sure that we protect $10 billion of our economy? It’s pretty simple. Wear a facial covering,” said Gov. Beshear. “Facial coverings help us achieve our three goals. No. 1 goal is to protect the lives and the health of Kentuckians. It is now a scientific fact: Wearing a mask protects both you and other people.”
He noted that cases are surging across the nation, causing many states to roll back their efforts to reopen their economies.
“The second goal is restarting our economy,” Gov. Beshear said. “There are multiple states now rolling back their reopening. I don’t want that to be us.”
Gov. Beshear said that while Kentucky is not posting the positive case numbers that we’re seeing in many places, many areas of the state are seeing worrying increases.
While social media can paint a distorted picture of public sentiment on some of these issues, Gov. Beshear pointed to a recent poll that found that Kentuckians overwhelmingly back his mandate for face coverings, with 73% supporting versus 23% opposing.
The Governor also noted that there was a time when some questioned other safety laws, including those requiring seatbelts.
Dr. Steven Stack, the commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, highlighted Kentucky’s non-partisan approach to battling the coronavirus with science.