Beshear: COVID-19 outbreaks in Kentucky linked to Myrtle Beach trips

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Trips to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, have led to COVID-19 outbreaks among at least two groups of Kentuckians, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday.

Dr. Steven Stack, the state’s public health commissioner, said "a number of clusters" of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky dating back to May have been linked to the popular summer destination, which on June 11 extended its state of emergency due to the pandemic after a major reopening of its economy in mid-May.

Stack said nine of 12 Kentuckians who traveled to Myrtle Beach together between June 11 and 14 tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning home. Some exhibited symptoms as soon as four days after they returned.

Another cluster of cases in Kentucky has been linked back to Myrtle Beach, Stack added, and an individual who traveled there tested positive for the respiratory illness upon returning to the commonwealth.

"I have to continue to urge and beg folks (to) be careful," Stack said. "It's not time to be cavalier because I just described a scenario where a place that was just starting a reopening process went from being fine to a state of emergency in three weeks.

"So the fastest way we can create a problem for ourselves is to ignore guidance like wearing masks, which is a relatively easy thing to do, maintaining social distancing and having proper hand hygiene," he added.

No further details were provided about the positive cases in Kentucky with ties to Myrtle Beach.

Horry County, which includes Myrtle Beach, reported 556 new COVID-19 cases between Sunday and Wednesday. As of midnight Wednesday, the county had reported 2,370 total confirmed cases, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Other clusters of COVID-19 cases with Myrtle Beach ties have been identified in West Virginia, Stack said.

Beshear urged Kentuckians to avoid trips to Myrtle Beach and other places with confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks. States such as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have started asking residents to quarantine after traveling to destinations where infection rates are rising, he added.

"We're not there," Beshear said, "but we're asking people — if you know that there's a place where we can tell you that there are a lot of outbreaks, don't go."

The governor also urged anyone who has been in a large gatherings to get tested.

Beshear: 229 new cases, 1 additional virus-related death

State health officials have identified 229 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky, Beshear announced Wednesday. Thirty-two of the new cases were reported in Jefferson County. The commonwealth has seen at least 14,363 infections since the pandemic began. At least 3,706 people have recovered.

Beshear said Wednesday's case update reflects that Kentucky is still in a plateau, which he called "manageable."

Nearly 340 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, and 79 patients are in intensive care units, according to a report from Kentucky Public Health.

An 89-year-old man from Laurel County has died after testing positive for COVID-19, Beshear said, bringing the state's virus-related death toll to 538.

Since June 15, Beshear said 31 residents and 17 staff members of long-term care facilities across Kentucky have tested positive for COVID-19. Six residents of those facilities who contracted the respiratory disease have died over the past nine days.

As of Wednesday afternoon, state health officials have processed at least 368,152 COVID-19 tests. For information on how to sign up for a test in Kentuckiana, click here.

The governor said that from now on he will hold weekly Team Kentucky briefings at 4 p.m. Tuesdays. Updates on COVID-19 cases and virus-related deaths in Kentucky will be provided via news releases, social media and videos from Beshear's office.