FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear announced in a video press conference that there are 562 new COVID-19 cases and eight new coronavirus-related deaths in the state of Kentucky.
Earlier Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear tested negative for COVID-19 after feeling ill earlier in the day, according to a release issued by the governor's office.
"Both my family and I are okay. We've tested negative for COVID-19 after a real scare," said Gov. Beshear. "I want to thank everybody out there who sent their thoughts and prayers."
“This morning, late in the morning, I started feeling bad with a lot of the symptoms that can suggest COVID-19. Because of that I immediately isolated and canceled events we had in the afternoon. A couple hours later, I was tested. And even the short wait that I had to endure gives me newfound empathy for those that are having to wait even a couple days to get their test results back, knowing that they may be separated from their family and wondering what their immediate future is going to be. So I’m going to continue to try to lead with this empathy and hopefully it makes me a better Governor in addressing this virus.”
Eighteen of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger, including an 18-day-old from Hardin County, a 1-month-old from Rowan County and a 3-month-old from Lincoln County.
The deaths reported Tuesday include an 86-year-old man from Grant County; a 79-year-old woman from Hopkins County; three women, ages 54, 65 and 84, and two men, ages 75 and 93, from Jefferson County; and a 60-year-old man from Ohio County.
As of Tuesday, there have been at least 711,017 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.87%.
“That is a number that is just too high to do a number of things we want to do,” Gov. Beshear said. “It means it’s just not safe at this moment to do a number of things that we’re working toward. But I’m committed, I’m committed to getting our kids back in school in a safe manner.”
At least 8,819 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
