Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear thanked the healthcare workers of the state Monday, as he announced the continuing escalation of COVID-19 with 2,135 new cases.
That brings the overall total in the Commonwealth up to 160,232 since the pandemic began, and the positivity rate decreased slightly to 8.97 percent. Last week saw over 20,000 new cases of the virus, and Governor Beshear thanked the healthcare workers and providers Kentuckians depend on, saying they can never be thanked enough.
He says the healthcare system in the country as whole is quickly being overwhelmed, filled with people who are sicker than ever and he intends to take action before things reach the point of no return.
Five more Kentuckians have died, putting the death toll at 1,792. Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says contact tracing is becoming difficult across the state, as the case load becomes too large. He says if people follow the new restrictions that were set down and avoid travelling for Thanksgiving, it could significantly cut down on the spread of the virus in local communities.
Dr. Stack says studies have been done in the Louisville area show that too many people are still either wearing face masks incorrectly or not at all, and that needs to change for the better soon. He says that if guidelines had been followed strictly at all times, there would not have been a need for new restrictions.
Both he and Governor Beshear thanked those Kentuckians who are fighting their hardest against the virus and doing what needs to be done to protect themselves and others until a vaccine is available.
The Tennessee Department of Health is reporting 4,074 new cases there, along with 35 new deaths. Montgomery County gained 79 new cases, Robertson County reported 48 and Stewart County gained 10.