Ongoing update about coronavirus disease, or covid-19, in Ky.

As news develops about the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, covid-19, this page will be regularly updated.

March 10, 2020

• As of 5 p.m. March 10, eight people in Kentucky have tested positive for covid-19, five from Harrison County, two from Fayette County and one from Jefferson. Numbers are updated here.
• The five Harrison cases, are women aged 27, 54 and 67, and men 60 and 68. The Fayette cases are men 46 and 49; the Jefferson patient is a 69-year-old man.
• Gov. Andy Beshear said all the Harrrison cases are "linked" but he wouldn't say how.  
• Beshear has directed nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to stop taking visitors, except for patients in end-of-life care. 
• He has signed an executive order allowing pharmacies to refill prescriptions for non-controlled medications for up to 30 days; to temporarily operate in areas not designated on their permits; and allow pharmacists to dispense drugs as needed to treat covid-19, following state and federal guidance.
• CVS Pharmacy said that it will waive charges for home delivery of prescriptions; that Aetna, a CVS Health company, will offer 90-day maintenance prescriptions; and that it will waive early-refill limits on 30-day maintenance prescriptions for all members with pharmacy benefits managed by CVS Caremark.
• Berea College will end its semester Friday, March 13. Students have been asked to move out by March 14. President Lyle Roelofs said "It will not be possible to adequately assure student and employee safety in the circumstance of a case of covid-19 . . . on campus."
• The University of Kentucky is surveying faculty about their readiness and resources to teach online. UK's spring break is next week.
• Beshear reiterated his call for employers to be flexible in their sick-leave policy, to make sure they provide enough leave to allow their employees to stay at home while they wait for their test results and for the duration of their illness, to avoid spreading the virus.
• U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a news release, “I would urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in both chambers, to put reflexive partisanship aside.”

PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS

Information about covid-19 in Kentucky can be found at kycovid19.ky.gov; to ask questions about the disease, call the state hotline at 1-800-722-5725.

Signs and symptoms of covid-9 include fever, cough, shortness of breath, but many people with the coronavirus have no symptoms, or may have the virus and be contagious for several days before developing symptoms.

If you develop symptoms and have been in close contact with a person known to have covid-19, or have recently traveled from an area with an ongoing spread of coronavirus, it is recommended that you seek medical advice.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person through tiny droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Measures to protect yourself include: washing your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds; only use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; avoid close contact with people who are sick; stay home if you are sick; do not visit with seniors or people with chronic health conditions if you are sick; cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw it away; get a flu shot; clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces; and engage in social distancing, which means trying to stay six feet apart.