FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky's COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped to 3.94%, the lowest rate seen since Sept. 21.
Gov. Andy Beshear said new COVID-19 cases and test positivity have declined over the last eight weeks. Case numbers now are similar to September.
Because of this trend, Kentucky businesses were able to increase indoor capacity to 60% last weekend. Beshear said as trends improve, Kentucky will begin to lift restrictions on private gatherings, too. On Monday, the CDC advised that fully vaccinated individuals can gather in private without masks.
"Certainly we are seeing the right direction, which is a decrease in cases and positivity, and if that continues then we will be able to continue loosening those restrictions," Beshear said.
On Tuesday, Kentucky reported 880 new cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths, including a 74-year-old woman from Boone County, a 64-year-old man from Bracken County and two women from Kenton County, ages 57 and 84.
Since last March, 411,917 Kentuckians have tested positive for COVID-19 and 4,850 have died of the virus.
Hospitalizations continue to decline. Currently, 551 Kentuckians are hospitalized for COVID-19, with 147 people in intensive care units and 81 on ventilators.
NKY Health reports 902 active coronavirus cases in Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties, and 38,248 people have recovered from the virus Tuesday. Since the pandemic began, 274 Northern Kentuckians have died from the virus. Track the spread on Kentucky's COVID-19 incidence rate map.
A record 127,110 Kentuckians were vaccinated last week, Beshear said, breaking the previous record of 112,428 vaccinations set the week before.
Kentucky has vaccinated more than 849,000 individuals against COVID-19, and roughly 25% of Kentucky adults have now received at least one dose. Officials hope to double the number of people vaccinated by April. Kentucky now has 567 COVID-19 vaccine locations across the state.
Watch a replay of the briefing in the player below:
