Kentucky continues to be in a third escalation, according to Governor Andy Beshear, as he announced 1,260 new cases Thursday afternoon.
That’s one of the highest days reported in the state since the pandemic began, and the positivity rate is nearing five percent again, sitting at 4.94 percent—Governor Beshear says it’s well past time for everyone to do what needs to be done and western Kentucky is getting hit particularly hard.
The overall total of cases in the state is 84,195, and around 1.8 million tests have been administered so far. Twenty Kentuckians have died of the virus, and the governor says as long as we keep pulling in high numbers, deaths will follow.
He says everyone knows what needs to be done to help stop the spread—wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, wear a face mask in public and social distancing as often as possible.
The Tennessee Department of Health is reporting 2,289 new COVID-19 cases and 36 new deaths in the Volunteer State. Montgomery County gained 55 new cases, Robertson County reported 18 and Stewart County added three.