COVID-19 Positivity Rate Jumps to 9%

DEM Blogger

December 31, 2020

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 30, 2020) – On Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear updated Kentuckians on COVID-19 case information and encouraged safe and small New Year’s celebrations, ideally with just one household.

“Our report for today is higher than it has been for a number of days. The progress we have made is fragile. We have to keep working and making good decisions every day,” said Gov. Beshear. “We need everybody to be safe this New Year’s Eve. Do not gather in large groups.”

The Governor said the state’s elevated positivity rate today may be the result of some labs and public testing sites closing for the holidays this week, increasing the percentage of tests conducted in medical settings where patients are already experiencing symptoms and suspect they may have the virus.

See all of the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s winter holiday guidance here: English full guidance, one-pager and single slide and Spanish full guidance, one-pager and single slide.

Kentuckians can also listen to recorded PSAs about the holiday guidance (created in partnership with RadioLex) here: Bosnian, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Persian and Spanish.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 3,784
New deaths today: 29
Positivity rate: 9.09%
Total deaths: 2,623
Currently hospitalized: 1,673
Currently in ICU: 433
Currently on ventilator: 234

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Kenton, Hardin, Pulaski and Christian. Each of these counties reported 100 or more new cases; Jefferson County alone reported 527.

Those reported lost to the virus today include two women, ages 63 and 75, and an 81-year-old man from Bath County; a 67-year-old woman from Bell County; a 96-year-old woman and an 82-year-old man from Boone County; an 86-year-old man from Campbell County; three women, ages 80, 88 and 91, and two men, ages 70 and 84, from Fayette County; two women, ages 69 and 73, and two men, ages 68 and 82, from Floyd County; a 96-year-old man from Hopkins County; five women, ages 54, 71, 85, 100 and 100, from Jefferson County; a 78-year-old woman from Johnson County; an 88-year-old man from Kenton County; a 79-year-old woman from Lawrence County; an 82-year-old woman from Lewis County; a 67-year-old man from Mason County; a 93-year-old woman from Monroe County; and a 90-year-old man from Perry County.

More Information
To view the full daily report, incidence rate map, testing locations, long-term care and other congregate facilities update, school reports and guidance, red zone counties, red zone recommendations, the White House Coronavirus Task Force reports for Kentucky and other key guidance visit, kycovid19.ky.gov.

###