FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear announced 14 new virus-related deaths in Kentucky on Thursday, the third straight day that the state reported double-digit deaths.
"That's because of what we had in July," Beshear said at his daily press briefing. "We've done a good job of pushing down the mortality rate down, but this thing is still so much deadlier than things we regularly encounter, like the flu. This thing is not the flu."
In the last three days, Kentucky has seen 38 virus-related deaths, including 12 deaths on Tuesday and Wednesday, for 856 total COVID-19 deaths.
Beshear also reported 726 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, including 101 children under 18, for 41,626 total statewide cases.
Kentucky's virus positivity rate dropped again to 5.18% on Thursday, and Beshear said the state's positivity rate has hovered around 5.8% since Aug. 9. Though exponential case growth of case numbers has stopped, something Beshear credits to a July mask mandate, total cases have not stopped rising.
"We were headed the way of Florida and Texas and Alabama and others. You could see our curve just as easily as everybody else's, and we blunted it," Beshear said.
As of Thursday, more than 9,388 people have recovered from the virus. The state has administered more than 794,282 coronavirus tests so far.
NKY Health reports that 3,503 people across Boone, Kenton, Campbell and Grant counties have tested positive for COVID-19, and 85 people have reportedly died of the virus. The health department reports 821 active cases and 2,597 people who have recovered from coronavirus as of Wednesday.
Fall sports at Ky. high schools
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association board of control voted to approve athletics contests for soccer, volleyball, cross country, field hockey and football starting the week of Sept. 7. Practices for those sports begin on Aug. 24. The high school golf season started in July.
The KHSAA board of control voted 16-2 Thursday in favor of Option 1, a decision that was upheld from their July meeting.
Beshear expressed some doubt about starting sports this early, including the possibility that cancellations of sports that start too early would trigger cancellations of later sports seasons.
“Do we wanna start at a time where we have a 10% chance of getting through the season, where we might play two games, or do we want to start at a time where we think we can get through ten games and people can have a full and complete season?” Beshear said.
Beshear has not received a written recommendation to sign yet.
NKY counties in COVID-19 'yellow zone'
Several Northern Kentucky counties, including Boone, Campbell, Kenton, Grant and Carroll counties, have positivity rates between 5% and 10%, according to the latest White House report. That puts them in the White House's "yellow" zone, a step below the "red" zone denoting a 10% or greater positivity rate. Twenty counties of Kentucky's 120 counties are currently in the red zone, according to the weekly report.
White House data shows most Northern Kentucky counties are in the "yellow zone" with coronavirus positivity rates between 5% and 10%.
Beshear said this rating system may determine future actions in different counties, possibly including another recommended delay for in-person schooling in red counties.
Twenty of Kentucky's 120 counties are in the "red zone" with coronavirus positivity rates of 10% or greater, according to White House data.
More money coming for unemployed?
Beshear announced Wednesday that the state will seek to get $400 per week in additional unemployment assistance for Kentuckians by applying for FEMA’s Lost Wages Assistance program.
Beshear said Kentuckians receiving unemployment benefits could expect the additional help, which would be $300 per week for three weeks from the federal government plus $100 from the state, starting in early September.
“We fully intend to provide additional unemployment further (than three weeks), it’s going to depend on the amount of money the federal government has," Beshear said at his daily press briefing.
The $400 will apply to traditional UI, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program and the extended benefits programs, he said.
Seven states have already been approved for the program, and are only using federal dollars for the payment.
“We believe this will make us the first state to apply that plans to fund the full $400 promised in the President’s memorandum," Beshear said.
The state’s Labor Cabinet will file the application Thursday, and FEMA will make its decision within 72 hours. Once the application is approved, it will take another two weeks to reconfigure Kentucky’s computer payment system to get the money to people in need.
NKY counties, cities and TANK receive CARES Act funds
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $12.5 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds for the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK).
TANK will use the grant funds for "operating, administrative and preventive maintenance expenses" for its vanpool and carpool transit services during the pandemic.
“This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who continue to depend on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao in a statement.
On Tuesday, Beshear announced 11 Northern Kentucky governments were approved for more than $9.2 million in reimbursements from the CARES Act for local governments with expenses related to virus response.
Many of these governments will use the funds for payroll for public safety workers and to buy more personal protective equipment and telework supplies.
Boone County, Carroll County, Gallatin County, Pendleton County, Bellevue, Butler, Crescent Springs, Edgewood Florence, Highland Heights and Warsaw applied along with hundreds of other Kentucky governments in May. Now, 134 applications have already been approved totaling more than $66.6 million.
COVID-19 and schools
Because Kentucky cases are not declining, Beshear's administration recommended delaying the start of in-person classes in Kentucky until Sept. 28 last week, saying that opening schools now would be unsafe.
"It's really important we do this right," he said.
The decision to open K-12 classrooms or keep students at home still rests with local school districts. Some in Northern Kentucky have altered their plans and moved instruction online during the first six weeks of school while others decided to start in-person classes Monday.
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said schools will notify the local health department before notifying the community of new coronavirus cases. The Kentucky Department of Public Health will use the information to publish a school case report, which will be announced at the governor's daily press briefings. In a similar way, the state will report virus positivity rates at Kentucky colleges and universities.
"The public needs to be able to know they are or are not taking if their child goes into the classroom," Stack said.
The plan is based on the same pre-existing statute that districts follow for lice, strep throat and other outbreaks in schools.
Find free testing in NKY
In Northern Kentucky, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Covington's Gravity Diagnostics now offers free, appointment-only drive-thru testing at 25 Atlantic Ave in Erlanger. The site, the former Toyota HQ building off Mineola Pike, will be 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 will be available through St. E at 7200 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria. The free testing site will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Schedule an appointment at those sites online at www.stelizabeth.com/covid-testing.
To find all coronavirus testing locations near you, click here.
Watch a replay of the briefing in the player below:
