Kentucky has posted three straight weeks of decreasing COVID-19 numbers with hospitalizations reaching a 10-week low.
Governor Andy Beshear said Monday the state’s numbers are trending downward. He reported 1,623 new cases and announced 35 new deaths. Cases increased 3.4-percent in January compared to December while the death rate connected to COVID-19 increased 37-percent.
However, the weekly case total dropped for a third straight week coming out of the Christmas holiday season.
Despite the downward trend in cases, Beshear announced he is extending the state’s mask mandate for another 30 days and that it could extend past that.
click to download audioBeshear said 1,314 people were hospitalized in the state which is the fewest since November 12. The ICU census of 337 is the lowest since November 14.
The number of tests given has dropped for a second straight month. After testing 24,236 people per day in November, that total dropped to 20,919 per day in December and to 19,224 last month.
On the vaccination front, Beshear said 413,000 doses have been given across the state with over 362,000 people receiving at least one dose. He said new regional vaccination locations will be announced Thursday.
State transportation cabinet director Jim Gray who is serving as project lead on the state’s vaccination effort said there are several criteria that must be met for regional vaccination centers.
click to download audioOnly six of the 34 regional centers in the state are in western Kentucky with two of those added in Paducah last week. There are six counties west of I-65 that are more than one county away from a region testing location including Lyon and Union counties.
The governor also said all K-12 school employees who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine should have had their first dose by the end of this week. He said this timetable will allow for significant expansion of in-person classes for the months remaining in the school year.
click to download audioBeshear also announced an extension has also been made for remote driver’s license and ID card renewal in Kentucky. The order applies for identification cards and licenses that have expired or will expire by June 30, 2021. That extends the time period from the current timeline of February 28.
