Kentucky’s number of COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to track fewer than December and much lower than Tennessee’s Tuesday numbers.
Kentucky reported 1,781 new cases Tuesday and 23 deaths, including an 87-year-old Caldwell County resident. The case total is a 65-percent drop compared to the first five days of December. The state has confirmed 110 deaths linked to the virus this month compared to 154 in December.
The numbers are significant because of the time frames of both months following major holidays.
Kentucky’s 11.4-percent positivity rate remains a new high for the state. However, with free testing starting to decline, some health officials say most people getting testing over the past two weeks have been sick people with symptoms seeking a test at a medical facility.
The state reported 1,760 people hospitalized with the virus Tuesday, which is the most since the record high of 1,817 on December 17.
Tennessee reported 5,399 new cases Tuesday, 99 deaths, and a positivity rate of 20.8-percent. A record 3,246 people are hospitalized in Tennessee with the coronavirus.
Governor Andy Beshear said over 66,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines had been given in the state, and he expects the first phase to take through the end of the month to complete.
Meanwhile, the governor outlined the state’s guidelines to track and record long term care facility case numbers.
Two of Trigg County’s three long term care facilities have appeared on the state’s long-term care report in the past, but only one did Tuesday. A third confirmed an outbreak to the News Edge has never appeared on the state report.
