Beshear announces task force aimed at combating COVID-19 in Kentucky's long-term care facilities

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — As the number of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky continues to climb, officials are taking new steps to help some of the state's most-vulnerable residents.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Saturday that a new task force has been formed to help protect people living and working in long-term care facilities. The task force comprises medical experts who are focused on slowing the spread of the virus inside the facilities, which have been hit hard by the pandemic.

More than 350 long-term-care residents and 164 employees in Kentucky have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and 46 people — almost of them residents — connected to long-term care facilities have died from the respiratory illness.

"We're trying to make sure that these facilities are safe, that these facilities are supported," said Eric Friedlander, Kentucky's chief resilience officer. "And when an infection gets in any of these facilities, it's not because the facility did anything wrong. You can look across the country and see this."

"This is how devastating the virus can be and why we have made the sacrifices we have," Beshear added. "These are big numbers. They would be a lot worse right now if we hadn't shut down all visitation."

Kentucky has more than 2,700 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 144 people in the state have died from the virus. Approximately 43% of people in Kentucky who have contracted the virus have recovered.

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