FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky’s impact from the coronavirus pandemic worsened Tuesday with 114 new cases and seven more virus-related deaths, Gov. Andy Beshear said.
It was the highest number of cases and deaths reported in a single day in the Bluegrass State.
The governor braced the state for the potential for even worse days to come from the pandemic.
“Now we knew this was coming,” Beshear said during his daily briefing. “And we know there are going to be days where we have more than 114 new cases.”
Beshear initially said the state’s death toll from the virus had risen by six, but midway through his news conference he announced an additional death.
Kentucky’s total coronavirus cases approached 600 and its death toll from the virus reached 18. Beshear listed 28 counties that had reported cases Tuesday, a sign the virus has reached Kentucky’s less populated counties. Two dozen of those counties had just one or two cases, and some were reporting their first case, Beshear said.
The governor continued to preach the importance of adhering to social-distancing guidelines and other safeguards to slow the virus’s spread.
“That is what this virus is, and that is why we’re working so hard … to reduce our number of contacts and protect the people around us,” he said.
Most people who contract COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms, which can include fever and cough but also milder cases of pneumonia, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems.
Beshear was asked at the briefing about a shortened school year. He said he will be considering recommendations to schools this week but added it’s “more than in the realm of possibility that there won’t be any more in-person classes in school this year.”
Meanwhile, a staff member for the Kentucky legislature has tested positive for the virus, according to an email sent to Legislative Research Commission employees.
That announcement Monday by LRC director Jay Hartz came two days before lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene Wednesday at the state Capitol to vote on a new state budget.
In his email, Hartz said the staff member who tested positive is “recovering and doing relatively well given the circumstances.”
The staffer had not worked at the Capitol complex since March 16, when Hartz announced guidelines permitting LRC employees to stay home through March, Hartz said.
Areas of the building will be “cleaned as thoroughly as possible” before employees return, he said.
Lawmakers haven’t been in session since last Thursday but are to reconvene Wednesday to take up the budget and other bills. They wouldn’t be in session again until mid-April when this year’s session wraps up.
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