FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 18, 2020) As of 4 p.m. July 18, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 22,184 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 583 of which were newly reported Saturday. This is the second-highest number of cases reported in a single day in Kentucky.
“That means this is a dangerous time and it can’t be explained away by our increase in tests,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’ve got to be careful. We’ve got to make sure that we are wearing our facial coverings, because today’s cases are a reflection of 14 days ago before we mandated those. This is what it’s going to take if we want to save our economy and save lives and get our kids back in school, it’s really that simple.”
Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported nine new deaths Saturday, raising the total to 667 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The deaths reported Saturday include a 93-year-old woman from Jefferson County; three women, ages 78, 80 and 81, and two men, ages 83 and 96, from Logan County; an 88-year-old woman from Shelby County; a 64-year-old man from Simpson County; and a 76-year-old woman from Warren County.
As of Saturday, there have been at least 529,481 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 4.66%. At least 6,824 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
“Consistency is incredibly important as we strive to avoid straining our health system,” said Steven Stack, M.D., commissioner of the Department for Public Health. “Weekends offer additional opportunities to socialize and go out in public. If you do, practice Healthy at Home and Healthy at Work guidelines. Wear a face covering. Maintain a social distance of at least six feet from people outside your household. Wash your hands. And, if a contact tracer calls, please answer. These steps get us back to work, school and play.”
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.