FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — During Kentucky's COVID-19 update on Thursday, the state's covid map still had a lot of red on it. But Governor Andy Beshear remained excited about the future.
"The WHO said [Wednesday] that end is in sight," said Beshear. "That sounds pretty good to me."
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said the COVID-19 pandemic may be near its end. That's based on new weekly deaths across the world, which reached their lowest point last week since March of 2020.
"We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "We are not there yet, but the end is in sight."
Beshear said this is welcome news in Kentucky.
"I'd like to see the end," said Beshear. "I’d like it to be here. I’d like to move past it."
To do that, Beshear encouraged Kentuckians to not let up now.
"Let’s make sure we’re playing the game until the very end. Let’s make sure to continue to get vaccinated, to make good decisions, to look at the map, and ultimately to protect ourselves," said Beshear. "Because the end might be in sight, but until we’re actually at the end, this can still take lives, or it can make you pretty sick."
According to the WHO, there were around 11,000 deaths globally the week of Sept. 5-11, which is a 22% decrease from the prior week.
However, according to NBC News, U.S. covid deaths have stayed relatively flat. NBC News reports "the U.S. is recording a weekly average of 478 Covid deaths a day, which is far above its lowest rate ever: 168 daily deaths the week that ended July, 6, 2021. In June 2022, the average was 258 daily deaths."
In Kentucky, Beshear says the state has "seen [its] fatalities shrink significantly."
However, he warns "that doesn't mean we're still not losing a dozen or dozens of people each week."
