FRANKFORT, Ky. — A 10-year-old in Kentucky is currently on a ventilator in critical condition due to a COVID-19-related inflammatory syndrome that affects young people, Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack announced at Monday's briefing.
Stack said symptoms of this immune system syndrome vary, and possible symptoms include abdominal pain mimicking appendicitis, gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems.
"There's not much you can do to prevent this except to take all the steps we've told you about," Stack said, including social distancing, wearing masks and staying home.
Officials did not identify the child's gender or location to protect their privacy. So far, the 10-year-old is the only Kentuckian known to have this syndrome.
Watch the press conference in the player below at 5 p.m.:
Starting Monday, all Kentucky workers and customers inside public-facing businesses are required to wear face masks.
Additionally, manufacturing, construction, vehicle/vessel dealerships, professional services, horse racing without spectators and pet grooming and boarding were allowed to reopen starting Monday.
With these rules and phased reopenings in place, Gov. Andy Beshear hopes to prevent a second spike in coronavirus cases.
“The economies that will thrive coming out of this are going to be the ones that don’t have to shut down a second time,” Beshear said Monday.
At his Friday briefing, Beshear unveiled more types of businesses that can reopen this month. Funeral homes are permitted to reopen May 20, the same day houses of worship can begin holding limited in-person services.
Hair salons, barbershops, massage therapy and various cosmetology services can reopen on May 25.
Last week, the governor announced restaurants across Kentucky can reopen with outdoor seating only at 33% capacity starting May 22. Bars will likely remain closed until July, her said. As part of Phase 2 of Kentucky's plan to reopen, Beshear announced that movie theaters and fitness centers can begin to reopen starting June 1. Camp grounds, both public and private, can reopen June 11. Childcare and youth sports can resume June 15.
Phase 3 of Kentucky's reopening includes gatherings of 50 people, though Beshear could not give a specific date for the transition. It's still unclear if public pools, including apartment complex pools, would be able to reopen in summer due to the inability for people using them to properly social distance.
Additional testing
In partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Kentucky opened a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in Erlanger on Monday. The free testing site on 25 Atlantic Ave is open to anyone by appointment only until at least May 15. Call 1-800-737-7900 to make an appointment.
Beshear also announced new coronavirus testing locations last week, including two in Bluegrass Urgent Cares located in Northern Kentucky. You can find those new testing sites here.
Currently, there are 50 testing sites across Kentucky, Beshear said Monday.
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KY coronavirus numbers
For Sunday and Monday, Beshear announced seven new virus-related deaths and 246 new cases across the commonwealth.
So far, there have been 311 virus-related deaths statewide and 6,677 total positive COVID-19 cases. As of Friday, more than 2,300 people have recovered from the virus and 104,001 total people have been tested.
On Monday, NKY Health reported 47 total deaths and 745 total positive cases in Kenton, Boone, Campbell and Grant counties.
Testing in long-term care facilities
Cabinet for Health and Family Services Sec. Eric Friedlander also announced a plan to increase testing at long-term care facilities on Friday.
So far, the state has conducted testing at roughly 10% of its long-term care facilities at this time. Those facilities in counties with high numbers of COVID-19 cases may receive testing help before facilities in counties not as hard-hit, Friedlander said Friday.
In some cases, Gravity Labs in Covington will supply test kits to be sent to facilities where they can collect samples and send them back. Norton Health will help collect samples at facilities that need it, Friedlander said.
Several Northern Kentucky long-term care facilities have seen positive coronavirus cases and virus-related deaths since March 7, according to the Cabinet's May 8 report.Find more information on those facilities here.
