FRANKFORT, Ky. – As of 4 p.m. Aug. 4, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 32,197 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 700 of which were newly reported Tuesday. Eighteen of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger, including a 2-month-old and a 6-month-old in Jefferson County. In addition, a 1-year-old in Metcalfe County was positively diagnosed after being exposed to the coronavirus at church and recently traveled to Tennessee.
“We hope to see the trend we think we had over the past couple weeks continue, which is a slow of the growth,” the Governor said. “While today we have a higher number than we did at this time last week, we believe there is a general leveling off though today there are more cases than last week.”
Gov. Beshear reported seven new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 751 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The deaths reported Monday include a 53-year-old man from Calloway County; a 70-year-old man from Daviess County; two women, ages 45 and 69, and an 81-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 50-year-old man from Kenton County; and a 95-year-old woman from Ohio County.
As of Tuesday, there have been at least 650,093 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.24%. At least 8,406 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.
First Lady Launches Coverings for Kids Program
First Lady Britainy Beshear on Tuesday launched a new program, Coverings for Kids, that will help Kentuckians to donate facial coverings directly to school districts.
“As a mom, nothing is more important to me than protecting each one of Kentucky’s children, as well as the teachers and staff who work hard every day to help them learn and grow,” said First Lady Beshear. “Kentuckians’ generosity is unmatched, and during this pandemic, this program will help ensure each school has enough masks to protect their students and staff.”
Starting on Tuesday, Aug. 11, people can drop off purchased or homemade facial coverings at district-level donation centers. The individual school districts will designate drop-off locations, which will be announced soon.
The Office of the First Lady and Office of the Lieutenant Governor, through the Kentucky Department of Education, will provide each district with the donated facial coverings along with information to promote their use.
“I’m an educator who trusts educators,” said Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. “We want to provide each district with resources and guidance while still giving them the flexibility to make sure these coverings are going where they’re most needed at any given time.”
More information, including links to tutorials and patterns to make both child- and adult-size facial coverings, can be found on the Coverings for Kids web page.
To view the complete Coverings for Kids news release, click here.