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FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Gov. Andy Beshear announced 17 new coronavirus-related deaths during his Tuesday update on the commonwealth's COVID-19 response.
Watch the briefing in the player below:
The state also reported 177 new cases Tuesday for a total of 171 deaths and 3,192 total positive COVID-19 cases in Kentucky.
NKY Health said four more people had died of coronavirus in Northern Kentucky counties, including two Kenton County residents in their 60s and 80s, a Grant County resident in their 70s and a Campbell County resident in their 80s. NKY Health reports 27 Northern Kentuckians from Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Grant County have died due to coronavirus.
Today we honored those Kentuckians we've lost to #COVID19. We must continue honoring them each day by doing what it takes to protect our communities and defeat this virus. ^AB #TogetherKy #TeamKentucky https://t.co/4Hr4ZpepB6
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) April 21, 2020
By Tuesday, 33,328 people total had been tested for the virus, though Kentucky has mainly reserved limited tests for first responders and people who are already ill.
As of Tuesday, 1,266 people in Kentucky have recovered from coronavirus.
Beshear said he plans to release new details on scaling up testing in the commonwealth and is expected to announce new COVID-19 testing sites at his briefing Wednesday. Currently, the state is operating sites in Paducah, Pikeville, Madisonville, Somerset and Murray.
Beshear said the reason some Kentuckians may not have received an additional $600 from the federal CARES Act yet is due to an "unprecedented" number of claims, and that the CARES payment is scheduled to arrive after an initial unemployment payment.
He also urged Kentuckians not to file duplicate claims, which would further slow the system.
On Monday, Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Education announced the state's recommendation to keep schools closed for the remainder of the academic year, in line with White House guidance for states' COVID-19 response.
Following the governor's recommendation, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association announced Tuesday that spring sports are canceled for all high schools in the commonwealth.
