LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky has reached another "grim milestone" in the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.
The commonwealth surpassed 5,000 deaths in which the coronavirus was a contributing factor with 23 new deaths reported Monday. Among the victims were three women, ages 70, 85 and 86, and two men, ages 78 and 83, from Jefferson County.
Since March 2020, 5,005 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Kentucky. "Several" of the deaths reported Monday were from January, Beshear said, and one was from November. "Not even the majority" of the deaths reported Monday were from March, the governor added.
"Knowing that grief for 5,000-plus families -- and by the end of this many more, because we're not gonna have any unknown soldiers," he said. "We are going to continue to audit and look at all the information until we know the full number of casualties that this terrible war has taken."
It took Kentucky a little more than a month to reach 5,000-plus deaths after surpassing 4,000 deaths on Feb. 6. The state reported its 3,000th death on Jan. 14.
Health officials confirmed 396 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. Of the new cases, 91 were in Jefferson County, according to a report from Kentucky Public Health.
Kentucky's positivity rate, which measures the proportion of COVID-19 tests returning positive, is "plateauing" at 3.99%, Beshear said.
According to the state's vaccination dashboard, 1,002,356 Kentuckians as of Monday had received at least the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Since Tuesday, March 9, the state has vaccinated 142,166 new people -- which breaks last week's record of 127,110 new people.
"We believe that we are going to hit the president’s goal that every adult in Kentucky and across America who wants their shot of hope will be able to get it by the end of May," Beshear said. "We’ve had nine straight weeks of declining cases and if we continue to see this trend, we can relax some of the restrictions even more. But we need to be careful and make sure we bring everybody to the finish line."
Related: Kentucky sees 1 millionth resident receive COVID-19 vaccination
One thing that returned to normal Monday: Licensed child care facilities were allowed to host traditional classroom group sizes. According to Kentucky statute, group sizes range from 10 for infants, with a staff-to-child ratio of one to five, to 30 children for kids ages 7 and older and a staff-to-child ratio of one to 25.
Children and adults will be screened for fever and contagious symptoms when they enter child care facilities, and the same staff members are being asked to work with the same children each day to reduce potential exposure, Beshear's office said in a statement. Social distancing requirements must continue to be followed, and facility visits must be limited.
As of Monday, 464 Kentuckians were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to health officials, while 114 were being treated in intensive care units. More than 60 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 416,610 confirmed cases reported since March, at least 48,720 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.
To find a COVID-19 testing location near you, click here. To find out if you're eligible for a vaccine and for more information on Kentucky's vaccination process, click here.
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