Kentucky Reports Second Highest Daily COVID-19 Total

DEM Blogger

October 31, 2020

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday reported the second highest number of new daily COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. Today’s case numbers are also the highest ever reported on a Saturday.

“This is now the single largest week of new COVID-19 cases by almost a thousand and we still have one day to go. We need your help,” said Gov. Beshear. “Be sure tonight that you are safe in how you are trick-or-treating. And make sure you are following the red zone recommendations so the entire community can come together to better protect those around you.”

Kentuckians should celebrate Halloween in their own neighborhoods, staying six feet apart from people outside of their households, wearing face coverings (Halloween masks do not count as face coverings) and frequently using hand sanitizer or washing their hands. Candy should be provided in individually wrapped bags placed on a porch, driveway or table.

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

• New cases today: 1,986
• New deaths today: 9
• Positivity rate: 6.10%
• Total deaths: 1,485
• Currently hospitalized: 964
• Currently in ICU: 236
• Currently on ventilator: 117

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Kenton, Bell and Warren.

Those reported lost to the virus today include a 77-year-old man from Pike County; a 76-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 61-year-old man from Lee County; a 71-year-old woman from Montgomery County; a 76-year-old woman from Fayette County; a 90-year-old man from Henderson County; a 95-year-old man from Jessamine County; a 54-year-old woman from Daviess County; and a 69-year-old man from Lewis County.

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH), noted yesterday that red county guidance should be combined this weekend with Halloween guidance throughout most of the commonwealth, where more than half of counties are reporting cases of at least 25 persons per 100,000 residents.

“Please enjoy this full-moon evening, when we get an extra hour due to the shift away from daylight-saving time. If you choose to go out, avoid crowds,” said Dr. Stack. “If you are around others, please, maintain a safe social distance, wear a face covering and practice hand hygiene, whether you’re preparing treats to pass out or picking up treats that have been distributed following healthy Halloween guidelines. This is our most effective barrier to spreading infection until there’s a vaccine.”

More Information
See KDPH’s Halloween guidance: in English (full guidance, one-pager, slide) and in Spanish (full guidance, one-pager, slide). In partnership with Gov. Beshear, RadioLex also recorded safe Halloween public service announcements in English, Spanish, Persian, Korean, Japanese, French and Chinese.

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

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