FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the commonwealth.
The Governor also noted that his next planned COVID-19 update will be Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. EDT.
Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Sept. 3, Gov. Beshear reported that the number of positive coronavirus cases has now surpassed 50,000, with at least 50,885 cases in Kentucky, 906 of which were newly reported Thursday. One hundred twenty-four of the newly reported cases were from children ages 18 and younger, of which 17 were children ages 5 and under. The youngest was a two-month-old baby from Henderson County.
“COVID is a once-in-100-year pandemic and we’ve got to take it seriously. We’re seeing a rough week this week,” said Gov. Beshear. “While our positivity rate is going down, we’re still seeing some high numbers. Today we’re reporting 906 new cases of COVID-19. That’s our third-highest total since the very beginning.”
Gov. Beshear reported 10 new deaths Thursday, raising the total to 976 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The deaths reported Thursday include a 52-year-old man from Barren County; five women, ages 60, 72, 72, 79 and 85, and two men, ages 70 and 73, from Jefferson County; and an 88-year-old woman and 76-year-old man from Lewis County.
As of Thursday, there have been at least 902,446 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 4.53%. At least 10,547 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.
Information about COVID-19 and schools is also being made available. To view the reports, click here for K-12 and here for colleges and universities.
Derby Update
Today, Gov. Beshear announced that about 130 Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen will support the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby, just like they have in some form since the 1950s. The Governor said in recent years about 220 soldiers and airmen helped to provide public security during the Derby.
“This year, we’re going to have a smaller Guard presence,” said Gov. Beshear. “They’re going to operate traffic again and access control points that are not in the designated area of the organized protest. This is something that we have done every year.”
Dr. Stack Update
Today, Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH), offered an update on the expected timeline for COVID-19 vaccinations.
“KDPH, with Kentucky Emergency Management and local health departments, is working to create our plans in partnership with the federal government, as well as state and local governments, so that when a safe and reliable vaccine is available we can deploy that in a timely manner to everyone who is eligible for it,” said Dr. Stack. “But, I’ve said this repeatedly and I’ll say it again, there will not be a vaccine for virtually everybody this calendar year. There are some corners that cannot be cut.”
He also addressed newer testing methods, explaining, “There’s been a lot of discussion about different types of tests, trying to get more rapid tests, and there’s some exciting science and possibilities in this. But they are not a panacea. They can be useful tools.”