Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear gave an update on COVID-19 in the state Monday, while condemning those who participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol and other demonstrations that happened in Frankfort.
Governor Beshear says he thanks those who stand up to intimidation and bullying, not letting it stop them from doing the right thing, even in the face of physical threats—this was partially in response to Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack’s home being vandalized recently.
He reported 2,085 new cases of COVID-19, with a positivity rate at 12.35 percent, the highest that rate has been since early April. Governor Beshear says last week was the highest week yet for growth in new positive COVID-19 cases in the Commonwealth, which he says is a good indicator of the impact of gatherings during the holidays.
He says they’re keeping a watchful eye out for the new COVID-19 variant that is more contagious, with Indiana announcing their first case of the strain today, but at the moment there’s been no confirmation of that in Kentucky. Twenty-one more Kentuckians have died, putting the death toll at 2,922 since the pandemic began.
On the state incidence rate map, 119 counties are now in the ‘red’ critical zone, leaving only one county as ‘orange’.