Despite greatly increased testing ability, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Kentucky remains mostly consistent from day to day.
Governor Andy Beshear on Friday announced 177 new cases, bringing the overall total to 4,879.
There were eight additional deaths—including an 86-year old female in Marshall County and a 58-year old female from Adair County who becomes the state’s second health care worker to die from the virus.
Governor Beshear again urged Kentuckians to wear a cloth mask when they are out in public, reminding that asymptomatic carriers of the virus can spread it and the mask reduces the number of droplets one spreads by talking, coughing or sneezing.
The governor says the state will be looking to hire 500 people to help local health departments with contact tracing as part of a seven-month plan to contain future outbreaks.
Unemployment staff has been working hard this week to address in some way each claim filed in March that was still pending payment and Governor Beshear says a vast majority of the ones remaining are either awaiting documentation to verify identification or awaiting decisions on some other issue.
Governor Beshear says the consequences will be severe for Kentucky if Congress doesn’t approve funding to assist states and local governments dealing with the crisis—especially in the coming fiscal year.
He called the outbreak at Western State Hospital in Hopkinsville stable and says they continue to not accept any new patients at that facility where 110 are currently housed.
Tennessee jumped by over 1,000 cases to 11,891, though over 800 of those were at a single prison. Montgomery County remained steady at 146 cases and Robertson County gained nine to 157. Tennessee has had 204 coronavirus fatalities.