Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced 807 new cases of COVID-19 during Tuesday’s update and gave an update on unemployment.
Those numbers brings the overall total up to 49,185, with a positivity rate currently at 4.4 percent, which Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says is a positive sign that the actions Kentuckians are taking are working. He did caution that the disease is still in spreading the state however, and urged people to keep up those health guidelines during Labor Day Weekend.
Governor Beshear says while that positivity rate being below five percent is good, it can be better—with Tuesday’s numbers proving that case numbers are still too high. Beshear announced that his administration will be extending their contract through the end of the year with Ernst and Young to help handle unemployment—he says they have helped process 141,000 unemployment claims.
The extension of the contract will cost about $4.4 million and going forward, the private company will be focused on disputed claims. There are about 70,000 pending claims left in the system with more continuing to come in.
Fifteen Kentuckians have died, including a 78-year old woman from Calloway County, putting the death toll in Kentucky at 948.
Tennessee saw 1,396 new COVID-19 cases from Monday to Tuesday and 27 new deaths. Montgomery County saw 19 new cases, Robertson County gained six cases and Stewart County saw three new cases.