By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
While the number of new cases of COVID-19 as well as Kentucky’s positivity rate declined on Saturday, the number of deaths rose, and Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration stepped up the effort to have more young people get vaccinated.
There were 489 new cases reported to state public health officials, 96 of which involved people 18 years of age and younger, or 19.6% of the total for Saturday. This compares to 607 on Friday and 628 on Thursday, and brings the total number of positive cases in Kentucky to 440,631 since the first one was confirmed in Harrison County on March 6, 2020.
There were ten counties that had a double-digit number of cases. Jefferson had 72; Fayette 43; Warren 21; Montgomery 16, Daviess, Kenton, and Trigg each reported 12; Hardin and Scott checked in with 11 each; with 10 in Henderson.
Boone County reported 7 and Campbell 5.
Kentucky’s positivity rate was 3.21%, based on a seven-day rolling average of tests versus positive cases, marking six consecutive days of declines.
In addition, 22 new deaths came into the state’s normal tracking system, while there were also 11 from the ongoing audit of death certificates from last fall and winter. The 33 deaths compare to a total of 22 from both sources on Friday, and means that 6,436 Kentuckians have now been lost due to the coronavirus.
Ages and locations of the latest victims was not available.
The number of Kentuckians hospitalized with COVID-19 was 404 on Saturday. Of them, 102 were in the ICU and 45 on a ventilator. On Friday, it was 420 hospitalized, 113 in the ICU and 50 on a ventilator, so all three categories were lower on Saturday.
There are now 1,715,970 Kentuckians who have received at least one dose of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which require two; or the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, meaning the state is less than 785,000 injections away from reaching the 2.5 million mark, at which time the governor says he will lift most of the capacity and other restrictions on businesses and venues for up to 1,000 people.
With everyone 16 and older eligible to receive the vaccine, and a higher percentage of cases appearing in younger people, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman went to Central High School in Louisville on Saturday, for a one-day clinic, although it will re-open in three weeks for the second dose.
“This vaccine clinic is just one example of the successes that can occur when we value the voices and talents of young people,” said Coleman. “Our students have been impacted by this pandemic as much as anyone. They know how serious this is, and they’re eager to help protect their community from this virus.”
She encouraged all Kentuckians 16 and older to sign up for vaccination appointments, available at more than 500 vaccination sites across the state.
The Governor’s next scheduled live press briefing on COVID-19 is Monday afternoon, but his office is expected to issue the daily numbers on Sunday. To see Kentucky’s full daily COVID-19 report, go to kycovid19.ky.gov.
