The state’s health care system is in danger of being overrun by a combination of increased hospitalizations and fewer medical workers available to offer treatment.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Monday the situation of having enough health care workers in hospitals is becoming dire.
click to download audioBeshear’s plea comes on a day when 2,135 new cases were reported in Kentucky – the most ever on a Monday. There were 1,500 cases reported last Monday and 953 on the final Monday of October.
click to download audioOf the state’s 160,232 reported cases, only 82-percent are confirmed cases. Two months ago, the state reported an average of 88-percent confirmed cases daily.
Hospitalizations have increased 83-percent in the past month with the ICU census up 54-percent.
Beshear said the state’s contact tracing system is overwhelmed due to the continued rise in COVID-19 cases.
click to download audioThe state reported five deaths linked to the coronavirus Monday, with the average age of those who died 79-years-old. Two of the deaths were from McCracken County and one was from Webster County.
The state also reported a continued rise in cases coming from long-term care facilities that included two deaths in the correctional system. Long term care deaths account for 65-percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths — a number that has stayed consistent for the past five months.