FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Coronavirus cases rose to the second-highest daily total in Kentucky, a surge that should “create a knot in your stomach” and puts the state at a crossroads, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday.
The Democratic governor bluntly warned that people need to wear masks and follow social-distancing guidelines to mitigate the threats posed by the spike in virus cases. Beshear recently issued an order requiring most Kentuckians to wear face coverings in public places.
The new caseload increase is “one more wake-up call,” he said, adding that the trend in coming weeks “depends on our willingness to come together and do the right thing.”
Beshear reported 576 more coronavirus cases statewide, prompting him to declare that COVID-19 “is attacking us and we are at war with this virus.”
The one-day surge sent the total statewide number of cases surging to at least 20,223 since the pandemic began. The only higher one-day count in Kentucky came in the spring when an outbreak at a prison inflated the statewide number of cases.
The new escalating caseload “ought to create a knot in your stomach because what we face is very, very real,” the governor said.
“What we do now is going to determine whether we can push that back down or whether we will suffer more cases and more deaths,” he said. “And don’t let anybody fool you, the more cases we have, the more death follows.”
Six more virus-related deaths were reported Tuesday, raising the statewide death toll to 635.
The governor also reported that 243 virus patients in Kentucky are hospitalized and that 90 are in intensive care units.
“So we’re still at a point, even with rising numbers, that we have the capability to take care of people,” he said. “But this can get overwhelmed really quickly.”
The virus’ resurgence could threaten the reopening of the economy and the resumption of school.
Meanwhile, the governor criticized some Republican lawmakers for not wearing masks at a legislative committee meeting Tuesday.
“I’m not trying to publicly shame people but we need leadership,” Beshear said.
He added that he expects to start seeing everyone in the Capitol complex wearing a mask.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up within weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, even death.
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