Kentucky reports a high number of covid-19 cases and deaths today, but positivity rate dips below 4%

By Mary Meehan
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky’s rate of infection dipping to 3.97 percent was touted as a positive sign Tuesday but Gov. Andy Beshear said wearing a mask continues to be crucial to curbing the disease as more schools plan to return to in-person instruction. 

 “Today we are now under a 4% positivity rate that is moving in the right direction at a time when we are giving guidance, especially to school systems, about how to at least get back to a hybrid model starting on Sept. 28,” Beshear said at a news conference. 

Beshear and Health Commissioner Steven Stack rolled out a new plan yesterday designed to help schools decide whether to open to in-person learning. The guidance asks schools to consider two things: the statewide percentage of people testing positive for the virus, which needs to be under 6 %, and a color-coded map that shows the prevalence of the coronavirus in their community. Each of the colors coincide with specific guidance. 

On Tuesday Beshear announced 745 new cases, including 95 children. He reported nine new deaths from the virus, bringing the states death toll up to 1,074 .

The governor also proclaimed September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, stressing that wearing a mask is especially important to children getting cancer treatment. 

“Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for kids in our state, in our country, and around the world,” he said. Kentucky has the fourth highest rate of pediatric brain tumors in the country.

Beshear showed a video of David Turner, Jr., 9, who has a rare form of brain cancer with no known cure. In the video, Turner and his cousin reminded Kentuckians the “kids get cancer too” and asked them to spread awareness about the disease. Beshear said Turner has spoken at the Capitol rotunda several times to encourage Kentuckians to wear a mask. 

“His family never knows exactly how many days they might have with the person they love most in the world,” said Beshear. “ And so, it is not a lot to ask for each of you out there to wear a mask to ensure that these parents and this child get as much time together as possible.” 

There was a spike of cases in another vulnerable population – the elderly living in long-term care facilities.  

Beshear said one facility had 18 new cases on Saturday that were verified Tuesday for a total of 59 new residents and 33 new employees testing positive for the virus. Two of the nine deaths announced Tuesday were in long-term care facilities. 

Beshear also announced that bars and restaurants will be allowed to stay open an extra hour, moving last call to 11 p.m. The establishments must be closed by midnight, he said. 

“That was a specific request from those in the restaurant industry. We thought it was reasonable. But again, let's make sure that whether you're in that industry or any other that has some rules and regulations that you're trying to do it right, that we're not trying to find a way to get around it,” he said. 

Bars and restaurants continue to operate at 50% capacity and patrons must remain seated unless going to the bathroom. 

In other covid-19 news Tuesday: 

• There were 533 people hospitalized in Kentucky with covid-19 and 125 in intensive care.
• The deaths announced Tuesday were a 90-year-old man from Bullitt County; an 83-year-old woman from Hopkins County; two women, ages 65 and 94, and two men, ages 48 and 73, from Jefferson County; a 93-year-old woman from Kenton County; and two men, ages 84 and 88, from Warren County. 
• Counties with more than 10 cases: Jefferson, 131; Fayette, 57; Logan, 50; Warren, 49; Madison, 32; Hardin, 29; Kenton, 18; Daviess, 17; Oldham, 17; McCracken, 16; Boone, 14; Shelby and Taylor, 11 each; Barren and Bullitt, 10 each. 
• There were 313 active cases in children in grades K-12 and 159 active cases in employees. There were1124 active cases at Kentucky colleges or universities and 49 active cases in employees.
• The Cabinet for Health and Family Services received a $35.4 million federal grant to support the continued work of the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort. The two-year State Opioid Response grant, awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, aims at increasing access to the three FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder, increasing treatment access and decreasing opioid overdose deaths. It will also be used to help people using cocaine and methamphetamine. 
• “Opioid use disorder is not a moral failing. It is a health issue and a highly treatable one when individuals have access to evidence-based services, medication and long-term care,” said Health Secretary Eric Friedlander. “While addiction is a chronic and complex brain disorder, many Kentuckians are recovering from substance use disorder – every day.”
• The Department for Aging and Independent Living was awarded a $999,999 Innovations in Nutrition Programs and Services grant. This money will help senior centers plan for emergencies.
• The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that a Kentucky health official questions the accuracy of President Donald Trump’s timeline for a coronavirus vaccine. In response to Trump's remarks, Grace Schneider wrote that Dr. Sarah Moyer, Louisville's health chief, said a coronavirus vaccine may be approved by late October or November, but doses will be reserved for health care professionals and vulnerable populations — and most Americans won't likely be in line for a shot for another year. Moyer, speaking at a morning briefing with Mayor Greg Fischer, said there are Phase III clinical trials underway, including one starting up in Louisville soon, but she doesn't expect that study to finish up by November. Starting Tuesday, antibody tests are available for free at the Kentucky Blood Center. 
• WKYT reports that normal blood donation could help save three lives, but now a normal donation at any Kentucky Blood Center could help save even more.  “We’re antibody testing all the blood donations, platelet donation, and double red blood cell donations at our donor centers,” Mandy Brajuha, with the Kentucky Blood Center, told Jim Stratman. That could be a boost for critically ill COVID-19 patients. “The hope is that we’re able to identify folks through this process that have the antibodies for COVID-19 so we can recruit them to donate plasma to help treat critically ill patients,” Brajuha said. 
• Minority children represent the majority of deaths from coronavirus, according to The Washington Post.  The coronavirus is killing Hispanic, Black and American Indian children at much higher numbers than their white peers, according to federal statistics released Tuesday. William Wan writes that the numbers — the most comprehensive U.S. accounting to date of pediatric infections and fatalities — show there have been 391,814 confirmed cases and 121 deaths among people under the age of 21 from February to July. Of those killed by covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, more than three-quarters have been Hispanic, Black and American Indian children, even though they represent 41 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency collected data from health departments throughout the country.