Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says they continue to see a trend that the growth of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth is slowing, and announced 700 new cases Tuesday.
That puts the overall total at 32,197 since the pandemic began and Governor Beshear says although the new cases are a higher number than he would like, the data does show the numbers staying relatively steady overall.
Eighteen of those new cases were children under the age of five, and the positivity rate went back up slightly to 5.24 percent. Seven more Kentuckians have passed away, including a 53-year old man from Calloway County, and the governor warns that August could be a tough month for fatalities, due to the increase in cases that occurred in July.
That puts the death toll at 751 in Kentucky and approximately 8,406 people have recovered from the virus. Beshear says the number of cases, including those affecting children, is still very concerning and while he hasn’t made a recommendation yet to school systems, they will watching the data closely as it gets closer to the third week of August.
First Lady Britainy Beshear announced the launch of the Covering for Kids program that will help Kentuckians to donate facial coverings directly to school districts. Starting next Tuesday, 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.
Tennessee gained 1,805 new cases of COVID-19, putting the total there at 112,441 and 25 new deaths, up to 1,117. Montgomery gained 18 new cases, Robertson County saw an additional nine cases and Stewart County saw no new cases.