Gov. Beshear reports 619 new cases Wednesday, 17 ages five or younger

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 29, 2020)– Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight coronavirus.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. July 29, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 28,727 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 619 of which were newly reported Wednesday. Seventeen of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger.

“It’s another day of tough news that we’re seeing across the country: whether it is Dr. Fauci warning that a number of states including us are poised for a significant outbreak, or high and even record-breaking numbers just to the south and all the way around us,” said Gov. Beshear. “That’s why we’re acting decisively. If we plateau again, it’s because of the hard work and willingness of people to wear facial coverings.”

Five new deaths were reported Wednesday, raising the total to 724 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Wednesday include an 87-year-old woman from Clay County; an 82-year-old man from Graves County; a 77-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 58-year-old woman from Knott County; and a 71-year-old man from McCracken County.

As of Wednesday, there have been at least 609,989 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.81%. At least 7,495 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.

Corrections Update
Today, J. Michael Brown, secretary of the Governor’s executive cabinet, gave an update on COVID-19 cases in Kentucky’s correctional facilities. There are currently 379 active inmate cases and 53 active staff cases; 432 inmates have recovered and 69 staffers have recovered. In total, eight inmates have died due to complications from COVID-19.

Secretary Brown added that the Governor was considering commuting the sentences of more offenders who are at least 65 years old and near the end of their sentences.

“We have released right at 1,200 inmates from our previous round of commutations and we’re currently in the process of screening another 700 inmates to see if they qualify based on those criteria,” said Secretary Brown.

The list of medically vulnerable inmates who could be considered for sentence commutation is still being compiled.