Gov. Andy Beshear reported 323 new COVID cases and two deaths, bring the state’s totals to at least 31,508 cases and 744 deaths. The new cases included 12 of kids under five — with two 3-month=olds from Jefferson County.
There were 6 new cases in Kenton County, 3 in Boone County and 2 in Campbell County.
“July was the toughest month, with the largest number yet of overall positive cases. Unfortunately, that will have negative ramifications for August,” the Governor said. “We find we often lose Kentuckians several weeks after they test positive. That means we are likely to have a larger number of deaths in August.”
Despite this, Gov. Beshear said, there is reason for optimism.
“The numbers are telling us that facial coverings and masks are working,” he said. “We were facing what looked like exponential growth. In order to see our cases go down, we had to slow the increase. That’s why the mask mandate was necessary. If we had done nothing, by now, we would have been seeing 1,000 new cases every day, but instead we are seeing the increase drop off.”
To reinforce the effectiveness of wearing a face covering, the Governor unveiled MaskUpKY, a new statewide public service campaign aimed at encouraging the use of masks by everyone in the commonwealth, along with a new hashtag – #MaskUpKY – to promote facial coverings on social media.
“We know that if we can get the majority of Kentuckians to wear a mask when you go in public, we can make a major difference,” Gov. Beshear said. “If we want to get our kids back in school, reopen our economy, keep each other safe and get to a new normal, we need every Kentuckian to wear a mask or facial covering. It’s that simple.”
The Governor said that over the next couple of months, Kentuckians are going to be hearing from a number of their fellow citizens about the importance of wearing a mask.
He showed one of several new public service announcement featuring his simple message: Don’t put it off. Put it on.
“When we are united in this fight, we are protecting ourselves, each other and our state’s economy,” he said. “Do it for Team Kentucky.”
Illustrations from the CDC.
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said Kentuckians’ willingness to comply with the mandates is working.
“I think we have a lot to be proud of in Kentucky. It’s been hard and taken a real toll on us, but the evidence shows that we have done a good job from a medical standpoint,” Dr. Stack said. “We now appear to have flattened the curve again. We can see that taking the right steps and doing it consistently works. We hope to see the curve stay flat, and go back down again.”
“Again, there are lots of different reasons to wear a mask,” the Governor said. “So how about wearing a mask for those two 3-month-olds or any of those children under 5.”
The deaths reported Monday include a 99-year-old man from Calloway County and a 75-year-old man from Floyd County.
“While we’re moving in the right direction on cases, trend-wise we’re going to have a tough month ahead in terms of Kentuckians we have lost,” the Governor said.
As of Monday, there have been at least 642,577 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.18%. At least 8,335 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.
Updated Sunday information
Due to limited reporting on the weekends, some updated information is now available from Sunday, Aug. 2.
As of Sunday, there were 640,918 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate was at 5.17% and at least 8,316 Kentuckians had recovered from the virus.
Testing in Northern Kentucky
In Northern Kentucky, new drive-through testing will be offered starting 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.
New Flexibility for Schools
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, who also serves as Secretary of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, announced new flexibility that the state is providing for the Commonwealth’s schools.
Previously, the Lieutenant Governor announced several moves designed to help schools navigate the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus. Those measures included unlimited non-traditional instruction (NTI) days, removing the “average daily attendance” requirement for funding, expanding the care program, and allowing districts to grant additional paid leave for COVID-19 emergencies.
Coleman said the state will provide expanded flexibility in the way districts provide online instruction.
“A lot of districts are moving to digital platforms. We have received requests to allow more flexibility for a variety of school staff to facilitate and support classes in online platforms,” Lt. Gov. Coleman said. “We have listened, and the Governor has issued an executive order to enact these changes. The goal of all of this is to empower our schools to meet the needs of the students and the parents where they are.”
Northern Kentucky’s July
During July, Northern Kentucky saw a significant rise in the reported number of COVID-19 cases, recording the highest number of cases since the pandemic began. As of Monday afternoon, Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Grant Counties have 2,827 total COVID-19 cases, an increase of 103 cases. The death toll remains at 80 deaths for the region.
Although much of the increase is among persons in their twenties, increases are also being seen in all other age groups.
“No matter who we are, Northern Kentuckians have a choice to make every day during this pandemic,” says Dr. Lynne Saddler, District Director of Health. “We can wear face coverings around others, socially distance from others, and wash our hands, or we can continue to see the spread of COVID-19 in our communities as is occurring right now. We’re seeing people traveling to places with high rates of COVID-19, people who have attended birthday parties, graduation parties, backyard barbecues, bars and other crowded places and gatherings only to find out they were infected or someone else there was infected. Let’s make the right choices and stop this surge from continuing.”
NKY Health is reminding everyone of three important steps that need to be followed for the protection of the community:
1. Over Your Nose:
Make sure your mask covers your mouth and nose. Covering both helps protect others from being exposed to your exhaled breath containing respiratory droplets, and helps protects you from breathing in the same from those nearby. If you are not covering your mouth and nose, you are missing the point.
2. Under Your Roof
Only have close contact with members of your household, which means those living in the same home. Gathering with relatives and friends from different households increases the risk of spreading the virus and adds to the transmission of COVID-19 in the community. Additionally, if someone living in your home has COVID-19, other household members are to self-quarantine until 14 days after the case recovers.
3. By Your Side
Limit your exposure to other individuals. COVID-19 can be spread by close contact with those around you. Avoid parties and get-togethers that will mix different households. Stay away from crowds, don’t create crowds at your home or other locations, and avoid travel. Remember to keep at least six feet away from others who are not part of your household.
In addition, everyone should wash hands frequently and keep them away from your face.
For more information, visit NKY Health Department’s COVID-19 page here.
