KY COVID-19 Update: Friday, Oct. 2

DEM Blogger

October 3, 2020

​​​​​​​FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 2, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“The escalation here in Kentucky continues to get worse and we have to wear masks – all of us,” said Gov. Beshear. “This week is going to shatter last week’s record for number of cases. We have to do better.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Oct. 2, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 70,727 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 1,039 of which were newly reported Friday. One hundred fifty-one of the newly reported cases were from children age 18 and younger, of which 33 were children age 5 and under. The youngest was only 5 days old.

“Folks, today’s news that the President and First Lady have tested positive for COVID-19 along with some of their advisors shows you that anybody can get this,” said Gov. Beshear. “We wish them the best and a speedy recovery, and this is an example of why we all have to be wearing masks. We all have to do our part.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported six new deaths Friday, raising the total to 1,197 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Friday include a 68-year-old man from Boyd County; a 69-year-old woman from Fayette County; a 74-year-old man from McCreary County; a 72-year-old man from Menifee County; a 60-year-old man from Oldham County; and a 70-year-old woman from Pulaski County.

“The situation is getting very dangerous in Kentucky. If you care about your economy, if you care about getting your kids into school, if you care about the lives of those around you, put on your mask,” said Gov. Beshear. “Socially distance; wash your hands; follow the rules. We’ve got to be Team Kentucky right now. We need your help and I know you’re going to come through.”

Gov. Beshear urged people to look over and take to heart updated guidance on 10 Steps to Fight COVID-19.

As of Friday, there have been at least 1,507,046 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate was 4.30%, and at least 12,041 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here. To see all recent daily reports, click here.

Information about COVID-19 and schools also is being made available. To view the reports, click here for K-12 and here for colleges and universities.

Week in Review
For more information on this week’s updates, including those on the Gold Star Families Memorial, Summit Biosciences’ expansion, the Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer program, the new COVID-19 reporting portal for schools, Xtreme Fabrication adding 25 jobs in Leitchfield, Chapin International’s expansion, the state’s personal protective equipment stockpile, the extension of driver’s license renewal by mail or drop box, a $7 million grant to support behavioral health services in Eastern Kentucky, Lexmark International winning the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, unemployment insurance, a $1 million grant to prevent child trafficking, the Governor’s Health and Safety Award, the Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund and guidance for a safe Halloween, visit governor.ky.gov/news.

More Information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and summaries of the Governor’s news conferences at teamkentuckytranslations.com.