Beshear's Facebook post shows generally stable numbers; comments on it reveal support, skepticism and unhappiness

Ky. Health News graph; click it to enlarge. New cases reflect unadjusted initial daily reports.

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

Metrics of the novel-coronavirus pandemic remained generally stable Sunday, as Gov. Andy Beshear made only a Facebook post giving the numbers.

The state reported 1,509 new cases, marking the fifth consecutive Sunday that the number has been lower than the previous Sunday. Reporting on Sundays and Mondays is limited due to less testing and lab work on weekends; on top of that, this is the end of a four-day holiday weekend for most people.

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days was 8.06 percent, the average of the last four days.

The number of Covid-19 patients in Kentucky hospitals continued to decline, to 1,504, the lowest total since 1,442 on Nov. 16. Intensive-care units had 411 of those patients, about the average of the last 10 days. ICU patients on ventilators totaled 217, about the average of the last five days.

The state attributed the deaths of 21 more people to Covid-19, but did not publish the usual list of deaths by gender, age and county.

Counties with 10 or more new cases were: Jefferson, 169; Fayette, 101; Henderson, 64; Boone, 63; Daviess, 60; Kenton, 56; Hardin, 43; Bullitt, 41; Calloway, 40; McCracken, 37; Pulaski, 36; Boyd, 34; Warren, 34; Boyle, 32; Letcher, 32; Campbell, Henry  an Lincoln, 25; Shelby, 23; Nelson, 22; Christian and Wayne, 21; Graves and McCreary, 20; Breathitt, 18; Madison, 17; Franklin, 16; Carter, 15; Grayson, 14; Scott, 13; Meade and Taylor, 12; Elliott, Floyd and Oldham, 11; and Clark and Union, 10. 

African Americans' share of Kentucky coronavirus cases and Covid-19 deaths continue to decline. The state's latest daily report says 9.5% of cases and 9.8% of deaths are among Blacks, who are about 8.5% of the state's population.

Not-always-social media: Beshear's Facebook post at around 3 p.m. generated more than 400 comments by 5 p.m. Most were favorable, but some reflected skepticism and unhappiness.

"I guess these fake numbers will get better every day until inauguration day," one man wrote, prompting several replies, such as "Yeah, just like it was gonna disappear after Election Day!" and "What a heartless thing to say. People are losing loved ones. I hope you don’t have to experience that to start believing it."

To the numbers of cases, the sick and the dead, one man replied, "Great, now what about unemployment? That’s just as important as these numbers are."

Many defended Beshear. One said, "Some people refuse to listen and they have caused the senseless deaths of others."

That brought this reply: "Just as the governor did not cause unemployment, permanent shuttering of small businesses, and collateral damage to students through online education, the people who refused to listen did not cause 'the senseless deaths of others.' The pandemic virus caused each. Playing the blame game helps no one." And that brought this rejoinder: "Those not doing what it takes to slow transmission of the virus are most definitely to blame for the deaths."

In other coronavirus news Sunday:

• The smaller-than-expected initial supplies of vaccines are nothing unusual and should not keep most Americans from being able to get the vaccine by late April, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN's :State of the Union: "I believe we'll catch up with the projection."