FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a 5-year-old and an 11-year-old have now contracted a COVID-19-related "pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome."
Watch a replay of the briefing in the player below:
At his daily briefing Monday, Beshear said the 5-year-old has since been released from a local hospital, and the 11-year-old remains hospitalized.
State leaders had previously announced that a 10-year-old and a 16-year-old had contracted the new syndrome which first appeared in New York.
Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said the 10-year-old in Kentucky had been put on a ventilator in critical condition due to a COVID-19-related inflammatory syndrome that affects young people. Beshear said that the child has been taken off a ventilator as his condition improves. The 16-year-old had been released from the hospital.
Stack said symptoms of this immune system syndrome vary and appear weeks after the child recovers from COVID-19. Possible symptoms include fever, rash, abdominal pain mimicking appendicitis, gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems.
Stack advises parents call the Kentucky Pediatric Hotline at (800) 722-5725 for questions and more information.
60% of COVID-19 deaths come from nursing homes
Residents of long-term care facilities testing positive for COVID-19 statewide hit 1,004 plus 423 staff, Beshear said Monday. So far, 198 residents and two staff members have died since outbreak began, accounting for 60% of the state's total deaths due to COVID-19.
There have been 346 virus-related deaths and 7,935 total positive COVID-19 cases statewide as of Monday. NKY Health reported 952 cases of COVID-19 in four Northern Kentucky counties and 55 total deaths Monday.
More than 2,700 people have recovered from coronavirus, and more than 145,238 people have been tested.
A free drive-thru COVID-19 testing site is now open in Erlanger at 25 Atlantic Ave. You can call 1-800-737-7900 to schedule an appointment. For a complete list of coronavirus testing sites in Kentucky, click here.
In order to contain the spread of COVID-19, Kentucky health officials will begin contact tracing, which involves health officials reaching out to individuals with whom COVID-19 infected people may have been in contact.
Mark Carter of the Cabinet of Health and Family Services says Kentuckians may be contacted by their local health departments to gather information or to give instructions if they have come in contact with someone who has COVID-19. This may involve instructions to self-quarantine for a set amount of days or to advise people to monitor their symptoms.
What opens this week in Kentucky?
Kentucky reopened government offices and agencies on Monday.
Retailers, including flea markets, can open Wednesday, May 20. Malls can reopen Wednesday as long as staff at entrances and exits keep occupancy at 33%. Individual stores must also enforce 33% capacity, Beshear said. Mall food courts must follow the same requirements set for restaurants.
Funeral homes are also permitted to reopen Wednesday, the same day houses of worship can begin holding limited in-person services.
Kentuckians can gather in groups of 10 people or fewer starting Friday, May 22. Beshear advised people hold these gatherings outdoors and with social distancing precautions. Additionally, the governor's restrictions on interstate travel will expire Friday.
Restaurants can reopen at 33% capacity with outdoor seating starting Friday. Beshear said bars will likely remain closed until July because it's harder to regulate social distancing inside bars than in restaurants, but he said bars can still operate as restaurants by offering food service at tables outside.
