LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- New COVID-19 infections in Kentucky remain on record pace for the week, and Gov. Andy Beshear said he worried about a rising number of patients in hospitals and in intensive care.
The governor on Tuesday also reported the second-highest daily death toll this month, with 14.
The latest White House report, too, indicates that Kentucky’s virus situation is deteriorating.
The state reported 776 more COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, which was down 278 cases from a week ago. However, through the week’s first three days, the state has recorded 2,271 cases, which is an all-time high for a Sunday-Tuesday period.
The 20 deaths reported during that period is the highest in seven weeks.
The White House report listed Kentucky in the “red zone” for cases, indicating the highest level of concern.
The report showed that Kentucky last week had 173 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population, up from 127 the week before and 111 the week before that. The rate also was significantly above the national average of 100 cases per 100,000 population.
Hospitalizations rising
Beshear said 704 people with COVID-19 were in the hospital Tuesday, which was up from 589 two weeks ago.
Of those currently hospitalized, 170 were in intensive care, up from 129 two weeks ago, he said. And 90 were on a ventilator, up from 81 two weeks ago.
The governor said that those rising numbers are worrisome, though they are to be expected, because the number of infections has been rising. Soon after infections rise, a certain share of the people who test positive ends up in the hospital, with a share of those ending in the ICU, on a ventilator and succumbing to the disease.
As WDRB reported Monday, COVID-19-related hospitalizations were at a two-month high, while coronavirus-related ICU admissions were at a five-month high.
According to a Kentucky Hospital Association report from last week, the state’s health care facilities had about a third of their beds still available and about a fifth of their ICU beds. About 11% of the 1,376 ICU beds in use were needed by COVID-19 patients.
The vast majority of people recover from the disease. Since the pandemic began, about 98.5% of Kentuckians who have tested positive for COVID-19 have survived, and people who have become infected more recently have had an even greater chance of survival — though the recent mortality rate for people over 70 remained above 5% and for people over 80 remained above 13%.
Since the pandemic began, the state has reported 1,269 COVID-19-related deaths. Nearly half of the people who died were at least 80 years old. About three quarters were at least 70.
Both Beshear and Kentucky Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack have warned that even with an overall survival rate of 1%, a high number of infections can overwhelm the state’s hospital system and cause a significant number of deaths.
The governor on Tuesday urged Kentuckians to continue to wear their masks, stay at least 6 feet apart, practice good hand hygiene and avoid large gatherings.
“Let’s stay safe,” he said. “Let’s answer the call.”
Indiana
Indiana health officials reported 1,569 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state's total confirmed infections to 138,104.
The Indiana State Department of Health said 27 more people have died from the coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in Indiana to 3,595. To date, 1,503,923 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 1,495,852 on Sunday.
In southern Indiana, Clark County has 2,619 confirmed cases and 57 virus-related deaths, and Floyd County has 1,607 with 65 virus-related deaths. Indiana's seven-day coronavirus positivity rate is 9.4%, and its total positivity rate is 9.2%.
To find testing locations, visit www.coronavirus.in.gov and click on the COVID-19 testing information link. More than 200 locations are available around the state.
For a breakdown of cases by county, click here.
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