Thanksgiving had highest number of new coronavirus cases in one day, second highest number of confirmed covid-19 deaths

State Dept. for Public Health map, relabeled by Ky. Health News; for a larger version, click on it.

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

Thanksgiving saw the highest number yet of new cases of the novel coronavirus and the second highest number of newly confirmed deaths from its covid-19 disease.

Reporting a day late due to the Thursday holiday, Gov. Andy Beshear said 3,870 new cases of the virus were recorded on Thanksgiving. Presumably, the cases were found by tests done before the holiday; the test numbers reported by the state indicated no surge in testing that would produce a surge in cases.

The state said the share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus was 8.94 percent on Thursday and 8.85% on Friday. That number has generally declined since a high of 9.19% on Sunday, Nov. 22.

The previous high number of new cases was 3,825, on Friday, Nov. 20. The number for Friday, Nov. 27, was 1,747, presumably reflecting a relatively low number of tests on Thanksgiving.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases jumped to a record 3,119 on Thursday and fell to 2,822 on Friday.

The state's daily reports showed 32 covid-19 deaths were confirmed on Thursday and four on Friday. The number on Thanksgiving was just one short of the record 33 set Nov. 17.

In a press release, Beshear asked Kentuckians to avoid busy shopping areas to prevent a further escalation of cases, and noted that many retailers are making Black Friday deals last longer, in order to limit crowds.

“These new case reports are truly alarming,” Beshear said. “Please be careful when you’re shopping and consider safer options, like purchasing gifts online for delivery or curbside pick-up. Wash your hands, stay six feet apart from other shoppers and wear a mask at all times. Now is the time we need everyone to buckle down, stay strong and stop this surge in cases.”

The number of covid-19 patients in Kentucky hospitals hit a new high of 1,747 on Thursday and dropped to 1,714 on Friday. The number in intensive-care units rose from 388 Thursday to 390 Friday. That was short of the record 409 set Wednesday, but the number of ICU patients on ventilators rose from 206 to 216, equaling the ventilator record set Wednesday.

The 36 covid-19 deaths reported Thursday and Friday raised Kentucky's death toll from the disease to 1,871. Friday's four fatalities were a 64-year-old woman and a 91-year-old man from Henderson County; and two women, 61 and 83, from Monroe County.

Thursday's victims were a 73-year-old Barren County man; a 66-year-old Bell County woman; an 84-year-old Boone County man; an 81-year-old woman and an 89-year-old man from Calloway County; an 86-year-old Christian County man; a 96-year-old woman and an 86-year-old man from Fayette County; a 78-year-old Floyd County woman; an 89-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man from Graves County; an 88-year-old Hardin County woman; an 82-year-old Henderson County woman; a 100-year-old Hickman County woman; a 69-year-old Hopkins County man; two women, 82 and 95, and an 88-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 63-year-old Johnson County man; a 92-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man from Lee County; a 91-year-old Livingston County man; an 88-year-old McCracken County woman; a 91-year-old Montgomery County woman; a 96-year-old woman and four men, 73, 81, 92 and 95, from Pike County; a 75-year-old Rockcastle County man; an 86-year-old Shelby County man; and an 84-year-old Warren County woman.

In other coronavirus news Friday:

• The state filed suit to close a Lexington coffee shop that defied Beshear's ban on indoor dining and benefited from publicity about it. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department wants a judge to rule that police can enforce the order; local police have declined, saying it is a civil or regulatory matter, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. A hearing is set for Monday.
• The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals set a 10 a.m. Saturday deadline for filings in Beshear's appeal of a district judge's ruling that his ban on in-person schooling could not apply to religious schools that follow the state's social-distancing and hygiene rules.