LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --Kentucky has set a new record for coronavirus cases reported in a week.
Since Monday, Nov. 9, health officials have reported a record 16,832 new infections in the Bluegrass State. That's 4,411 more cases than the previous record (12,421) set between Nov. 2-8. During that span, the commonwealth has broken its single-day record for new cases three times and surpassed 3,000 infections in a single day for the first time since the pandemic began.
"Coronavirus is present in every corner of the commonwealth and it’s spreading at a truly alarming rate," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. "This is not a drill; this is a health emergency that we all need to take seriously."
Kentucky reported 1,449 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and three new deaths in which the virus was a contributing factor, Beshear said in the news release. Of the new cases reported Sunday, 346 were confirmed in Jefferson County, according to a report from Kentucky Public Health.
The deaths reported Sunday bring Kentucky's virus-related death toll to 1,661 since March. Two of the victims were Oldham County residents, an 84-year-old woman and an 85-year-old man.
Beshear said the state's positivity rate, a measure of the proportion of tests returning positive, dipped from 8.95% on Saturday, the highest it has been since May, to 8.88% on Sunday.
As of Sunday, 1,383 Kentuckians were hospitalized with the coronavirus statewide, while 330 patients were being treated in intensive care units and 156 were on ventilators, according to the governor's office. Hospitalizations increased by five patients from Saturday, while the number of patients in ICUs rose by 22.
"Kentucky’s state motto is 'United We Stand, Divided We Fall.' This motto has never been more applicable than now, as we fight the most deadly pandemic in over 100 years,” said Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky's public health commissioner, in the news release. "Unless Kentuckians come together, we will continue on this dangerous trajectory with disastrous consequences."
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. The vast majority of people recover. Of Kentucky's 137,586 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported since March, at least 24,329 have recovered, according to Kentucky Public Health.
But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.
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This story may be updated.
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