FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear announced 1,260 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday after reporting a record-breaking 1,346 new cases of COVID-19 a day ago.
Kentucky's coronavirus positivity rate also rose again to 4.94% on Thursday, the highest it's been in four weeks.
“This is not moving in the right direction, and it's up to us to stop these increases in cases, increases in positivity. We continue to see increases in hospitalizations," Beshear said.
The governor also reported 20 new virus-related deaths Thursday, including an 86-year-old from Bracken County.
"I can't tell you how painful it is to read 20 entries. We're gonna have a lot more days like this if we don't do better about wearing masks, about social distancing and about following the rules," the governor said.
Kentucky has seen at least 84,195 total cases of COVID-19 and 1,296 total deaths.
So far, more than 16,756 people who had the virus have reportedly recovered from COVID-19, and the state has now administered more than 1.7 million coronavirus tests since the pandemic began.
NKY Health reported that 5,203 people across Boone, Kenton, Campbell and Grant counties have tested positive for COVID-19, and 96 people have reportedly died of the virus. The health department reports 1,181 active cases and 3,926 people who have recovered from coronavirus as of Thursday.
Free COVID-19 testing in NKY
In Northern Kentucky, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Covington's Gravity Diagnostics offer free, appointment-only drive-thru testing at 25 Atlantic Ave in Erlanger, the former Toyota HQ building off Mineola Pike.
The site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You will be able to collect your own sample without leaving your vehicle and receive results within three to five days.
Additionally, appointment-only drive-up testing is available through St. E at 7200 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria. The free testing site is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Schedule an appointment at those sites online atwww.stelizabeth.com/covid-testing. To find all coronavirus testing locations near you,click here.
Watch a replay of the briefing in the player below:
