Gov. Beshear Provides Update on COVID-19

Frankfort, Ky. (Aug. 4, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the commonwealth.

“This is a devastating virus, and it’s one that we have got to battle against, but we know-how,” the Governor said.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Aug. 4, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 32,197 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 700 of which were newly reported Tuesday. Eighteen of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger, including a 2-month-old and a 6-month-old in Jefferson County. In addition, a 1-year-old in Metcalfe County was positively diagnosed after being exposed to the coronavirus at church and recently traveled to Tennessee.

“We hope to see the trend we think we had over the past couple weeks continue, which is a slow of the growth,” the Governor said. “While today we have a higher number than we did at this time last week, we believe there is a general leveling off though today there are more cases than last week.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported seven new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 751 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Monday to include a 53-year-old man from Calloway County; a 70-year-old man from Daviess County; two women, ages 45 and 69, and an 81-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 50-year-old man from Kenton County; and a 95-year-old woman from Ohio County.

“That is seven more than we ever want to lose,” Gov. Beshear said. “Let me warn you that this is probably going to be a really tough month as far as our losses in Kentucky.”

As of Tuesday, there have been at least 650,093 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.24%. At least 8,406 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. To see all recent daily reports, click here.

First Lady Launches Coverings for Kids Program
First Lady Britainy Beshear on Tuesday launched a new program, Coverings for Kids, that will help Kentuckians to donate facial coverings directly to school districts.

“As a mom, nothing is more important to me than protecting each one of Kentucky’s children, as well as the teachers and staff who work hard every day to help them learn and grow,” said First Lady Beshear. “Kentuckians’ generosity is unmatched, and during this pandemic, this program will help ensure each school has enough masks to protect their students and staff.”

Starting on Tuesday, Aug. 11, people can drop off purchased or homemade facial coverings at district-level donation centers. The individual school districts will designate drop-off locations, which will be announced soon.

The Office of the First Lady and Office of the Lieutenant Governor, through the Kentucky Department of Education, will provide each district with the donated facial coverings along with information to promote their use.

“I’m an educator who trusts educators,” said Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. “We want to provide each district with resources and guidance while still giving them the flexibility to make sure these coverings are going where they’re most needed at any given time.”

More information, including links to tutorials and patterns to make both children- and adult-size facial coverings, can be found on the Coverings for the Kids web page.

To view the complete Coverings for Kids news release, click here.

Expanded COVID-19 Testing
Gov. Beshear continues to encourage all Kentuckians to take advantage of coronavirus testing being offered at more than 200 locations across the commonwealth.

“With us being in a time where we have had more cases than really ever before, though we certainly hope they are leveling out, we want to make sure that everyone out there can get a test,” the Governor said.

The Governor said there are many private testing sites across the commonwealth, including:

• 34 in Western Kentucky
• 65 in Eastern Kentucky
• 29 in Louisville and surrounding counties
• 30 in Northern Kentucky
• 34 in South Central Kentucky
• 38 in Lexington and Central Kentucky

He also highlighted new free COVID-19 testing that is being provided by University of Louisville Health and a new drive-through option in Northern Kentucky.

The testing sites available under the UofL program:

• Downtown Louisville – 499 S. Brook Street
• South Louisville – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, 1850 Bluegrass Avenue
• Bullitt County – Medical Center South, 1903 W. Hebron Lane

The testing is free and available seven days a week. Appointments are required. Starting Aug. 5, Kentuckians can call 502-588-0414 to sign up.

In Northern Kentucky, new drive-through testing will be offered to start Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Atlantic Corporate Center, 25 Atlantic Avenue, in Erlanger. The testing is free, but by appointment only, and will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition, beginning Tuesday, Aug. 11, drive-up testing will be available at St. Elizabeth Imaging, 7200 Alexandria Pike, in Alexandria. The testing will be performed from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The testing is free, and no appointment or doctor’s order is required.

For additional information about each location, visit kycovid19.ky.gov.

More Information
Read about other key updates, actions, and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s news conference at tinyurl.com/kygovespanol (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).