By Lisa Gillespie
Kentucky Health News
Calling today's report "grim," Gov. Andy Beshear announced the state’s fourth highest day of coronavirus cases on Tuesday, 1,312, along with increases in almost every other measure that indicate the state is headed for trouble, including hospitalizations, the rate of people testing positive for the virus and cases in schools.
Beshear added that both Monday and Tuesday's new cases have been the highest yet for each given day since the virus came to Kentucky in March. He said the state is now preparing for a surge, including looking at increasing capacity in hospitals for covid-19 patients.
“Because of what we are seeing with this escalation, you should know that we have begun as a state, surge preparations,” Beshear said at his daily briefing. “Again, that's something that we did not have to do in the increase over the summer, but we are now going back to our plans about capacity in hospitals, looking if we have to add hotel options and the use of state parks and ensuring that we have the operational plans to stand up the field hospital if necessary.”
Beshear said 776 people in Kentucky are hospitalized with covid-19, which for a second day in a row breaks the record. He said 202 of them are in intensive care, up 12 since yesterday, and 96 of those are on a ventilator, seven more since yesterday.
The positivity rate – based on a seven-day rolling average of the number of coronavirus tests that come back positive out of the total number of tests done in a day – is now 5.08%, the highest it’s been since Aug. 25, said Beshear.
The school coronavirus dashboard, where schools report new cases that haven’t yet been verified, tallied 97 new cases on Tuesday morning, Beshear said. Many more,1,109 students, are in quarantine because of potential exposure. The dashboard also shows 75 new staff and faculty have tested positive for the virus, and 218 of them are in quarantine.
"That tells us how the virus is out there and spreading and how we've got to tamp it down and lessen the spread in a community to protect the education of our children," he said.
Beshear urged venues and churches to enforce guidelines like wearing masks inside and keeping guests distanced six feet apart, after pointing out that nationwide, the spread of the virus has been linked to social gatherings and funerals. .
“Different venues that are out there, we need you to double down on what you're doing; our houses of worship, just please make sure that you're following all the protocols and redouble your efforts, all the way through,” Beshear said.
The governor also mentioned the most recent White House Coronavirus Task Force report, which found about 70% of Kentucky counties have moderate to high levels of community transmission. Beshear said the report, which he noted uses different metrics than the state, advises Kentucky to continue with the mask mandate and encourages states that haven’t done so yet, like Tennessee, to implement one.
It also recommends that the 43counties in the most dangerous red zone, including Jefferson, Laurel and Pike, to not have home gatherings at all.
“The White House recommends that we don't have gatherings in our homes at all while we're in the red and just stay there with our close family; that is the recommendation from them,” Beshear said. “They are also encouraging us in each community to spend your money at businesses that are following the rules.”
Kentucky’s guidance for social gatherings is not so strict, limiting such gatherings to 10 people or less.
Beshear announced 16 new deaths from covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state's death toll to 1,342.
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| Rev. Robert L. Boyd |
“He loved retelling the stories of his family and church, and could recount historic dates and stories from the local area,” Beshear said in memory of Boyd. “A man of many talents, Rev. Boyd was a talented singer and a former member of the gospel group, Israel Life Travelers. Family was everything to him. . . He was loved by so many who will carry his strength and encouragement in their hearts.”
In other coronavirus news Tuesday:
- Jefferson County had the majority of new cases reported on Tuesday, 324. Other counties with 10 or more new cases were Fayette, 47; Laurel, 45; Boone and Nelson, 36; Christian and Pike, 35; Kenton, 29; Bullitt, 28; Scott and Warren, 27; Madison, 22; Daviess and Fleming, 19; Barren and hardin, 18; Bell; 17; Allen, Henderson and Wayne, 15; Johnson, Martin and Whitley, 14; Floyd, Hopkins and Perry, 12; Franklin, Jessamine and Magoffin, 11; Campbell, Clay, Clinton, Knox, McLean and Todd, 10.
- The fatalities from covid-19 include a 56-year-old woman from Bell County; a 73-year-old man from Boyd County; an 86-year-old woman from Daviess County; two women, ages 96 and 97, from Fayette County; an 82-year-old woman from Hopkins County; four women, ages 67, 74, 76 and 80, from Jefferson County; a 92-year-old woman and three men, ages 64, 94 and 96, from Jessamine County; an 89-year-old man from Marshall County; and a 78-year-old man from Muhlenberg County.
- In long-term care, 44 more residents and 29 more staff have tested positive for the virus, with 979 active resident cases and 569 active staff cases. Beshear said nine more deaths can be attributed to the facilities, for a total of 811 resident and five staff deaths attributed to covid-19.
- Beshear said there’ve been a total of five deaths at the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore, with 71 residents and 42 staff testing positive. Thirteen of the veterans have been hospitalized. Beshear said 15 nursing staff have been provided to the center after the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affiars asked for more assistance. The Paul E Patton Eastern Ky Veterans Center has reported two deaths and has eight active cases.
- The college and university report shows 19 more students have tested positive for the virus, bringing the number of newcases in the past 14 days to 363 students.
- The big motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D., Aug. 7-16, may have helped spark a major outbreak of the virus in the region, The Washington Post reports: "Experts say they will never be able to determine how many of those cases originated at the 10-day rally, given the failure of state and local health officials to identify and monitor attendees returning home, or to trace chains of transmission after people got sick. Some, however, believe the nearly 500,000-person gathering played a role in the outbreak now consuming the Upper Midwest."
- A large national poll released Monday by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 49% of Americans trusted Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert who has served under six presidents, "a lot" as a source of information about the coronavirus pandemic, ranking him second on the list of eight choices. University research centers ranked first, at 51% and President Trump ranked last, with only 14% saying they trusted him "a lot" when it comes to the pandemic, reports The Washington Post. On a Monday conference that included reporters, Trump criticized Fauci, calling him a "disaster" and said "people are tired of covid" and "are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots," reports the Post.
- The New York Times/ Siena College Research Institute poll, taken Oct. 15-18, found that regardless of how they might vote, 52% said they trusted Joe Biden to do a better job with the coronavirus pandemic and 40% said they trusted President Trump to do a better job. The same poll found that 59% would support a national mask mandate, 39% would oppose one, and 2% didn't answer or didn't know.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance that strongly recommends all passengers and workers on planes, trains, buses and other public transportation wear masks to control the spread of the coronavirus. “Face masks help prevent people who have covid-19, including those who are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, from spreading the virus to others,” the CDC guidelines say. “Masks are most likely to reduce the spread of covid-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.” The Post reports that the new guidance has received mixed reaction from the transportation industry, saying it falls short of what is needed because the recommendation is only that, and not a mandate.
- The Lexington Herald-Leader talks to experts about whether air filters can help prevent coronavirus spread in your home. The bottom line, there is still a lack of evidence that they work, but the potential benefits outweigh the cost. That said, one expert says they should be part of your plan rather than your whole plan.
- The head basketball coach of Washington County High School, Stephen Woodson, describes his "tough" battle with covid-19 in hopes that it will encourage others to share their stories, WDRB reports."Covid is real," he posted on Facebook. "I couldn't even go to the bathroom on my own. I had to have oxygen to help me breathe and wasn't even strong enough to open my eyes. Honestly, one night, I didn't think I was going to make it, my body felt pain I have never felt and I didn't know what to do."
from KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS https://ift.tt/3jaCDQY Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and school cases keep escalating in Kentucky; state is preparing for a surgeHealthy Care
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