LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- State health officials on Wednesday reported 51 more deaths in which COVID-19 was a contributing factor alongside 2,592 new cases.
Wednesday marked the 15th straight day Kentucky has reported more than 30 virus-related deaths. Among the new victims were two women, ages 80 and 81, and three men, ages 80, 96 and 100, from Jefferson County, Gov. Andy Beshear said during a briefing from the state Capitol.
More than half of the 3,863 Kentuckians who have died from the coronavirus were age 70 or older, according to data from Kentucky Public Health. Seven of the deaths reported Wednesday were individuals age 60 or younger, Beshear said.
Wednesday's caseload is an increase from the 2,424 reported a week ago on Jan. 27, but the governor said "it looks possible" that Kentucky sees its fourth consecutive weekly decline in new infections.
Kentucky's positivity rate, which measures the proportion of coronavirus tests returning positive, fell from 8.83% on Tuesday to 8.53% on Wednesday. The rate has stayed under 9% for the past six days but remains above the World Health Organization's recommended threshold of 5% or lower for states to reopen.
When asked if the declining caseloads could mean easing capacity restrictions at places like restaurants and bars, Beshear said the state's numbers are "still really high," and officials are waiting to ensure the downward trend continues.
"We're headed in the right direction. If we continue to do that, then yes — we'll be able to look at all of those things," he said. "We're not gonna keep something in place just because it's in place. If things get better, and if we continue to see better masking, then yes, absolutely. We're always willing to look at our approach when we are doing better as a state."
When it comes to students resuming in-person classes, Beshear said state leaders are working with the Kentucky Department of Education to create additional guidance on returning safely.
Some school districts across the commonwealth have opened classrooms to in-person instruction in some fashion, but Jefferson County Public Schools remains on virtual learning only. The district's Board of Education could vote on when to reopen schools in the coming weeks.
Beshear on Wednesday walked through reopening recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among those recommendations: density control (ensuring proper social distancing can be enforced), masking, proper ventilation and community mitigation. The head of the CDC said Wednesday that teachers do not need to be vaccinated to reopen schools to in-person learning safely.
Beshear said it's important to get kids back in the classroom to help them build a brighter future and to allow parents to get back to work.
"Everybody's still going to have masks (and) be spread out," he said. "Some are still going to be on hybrid models if they can't reduce the density or spread out enough, I'm sure, but there's going to be a lot more opportunity for local decision-making that meets the conditions on the ground in each community."
The governor and Kentucky's Public Health Commissioner, Dr. Steven Stack, both advised Kentuckians to avoid holding large gatherings Sunday for the Super Bowl. Current state guidance recommends no more than eight people from two households gathering indoors together.
"We can't afford to have the disease spread now," Stack said. "With these mutations and these variants, every time we allow it to infect more people it gives the virus the opportunity to mutate. It gives the virus the opportunity to learn how to defeat the antibodies that our bodies are forming."
Of the new cases Wednesday, 424 were confirmed in Jefferson County, according to Kentucky Public Health. Data released Wednesday show 106 of the commonwealth's 120 counties experiencing a "critical" spread of the virus.
As of Wednesday, 385,695 unique individuals had received the first dose of the two-shot immunization process, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health's vaccination dashboard.
Beshear will announce more locations for regional vaccination sites on Thursday. The state's first regional site, located in Alltech Arena at Lexington's Kentucky Horse Park, opened Tuesday and is expected allow more than 3,000 people to be vaccinated weekly.
The governor on Tuesday announced an additional 5% boost to the state's vaccine supply from the federal government for the week beginning Feb. 8. This is on top of a 17% boost in supply Beshear announced Jan. 26 as part of a surge in deliveries nationwide through President Joe Biden's administration. On Wednesday, Beshear said the 5% boost equates to roughly 2,000 more doses.
Kentucky's hospitalization data remains "stable," Beshear said Wednesday. According to Kentucky Public Health, 1,340 residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, while 368 patients were being treated in intensive care units. More than 170 patients were on ventilators.
For most people, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. The vast majority of people recover. Of Kentucky's 369,519 confirmed cases reported since March, at least 44,073 have recovered, according to Kentucky Public Health.
To find a COVID-19 testing location near you, click here.
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
