LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This is a weekly blog with daily updates on COVID-19 numbers, COVID vaccine and other related content across Kentucky for the week of April 5, 2021.
Sunday, April 11
Gov. Andy Beshear has announced an additional 366 positive cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.
Eight deaths were also reported, and 1 death included in the audit.
The positivity rate once again rose slightly above 3%.
Hospitalizations remain down with 379 reported; 192 in intensive care and 51 currently on a ventilator.
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In Jefferson County, 87 new cases were reported.
The county has confirmed 78,868 positive cases and 1,056 deaths.
An estimated 41,082 have recovered from the virus.
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Kentucky has confirmed 433,085 total cases and 6,250 deaths.
There have been 5,173,076 tests given in Kentucky and about 1,556,419 unique persons vaccinated.
Saturday, April 10
The state continues to do their part in ensuring the end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite announcing 505 new cases of the virus on Saturday, Gov. Andy Beshear said 1.5 million Kentuckians have been vaccinated.
There were 10 new deaths and 8 more announced from the audit.
The positivity rate remains below 3%.
Hospitalizations continue to decline with 370 reported, 92 in intensive care and 48 on a ventilator.
Friday, April 9
Kentucky health official reporting 744 new positive case of COVID-19 and 4 additional deaths. The state says 6,223 Kentuckians have died from coronavirus-related illnesses.
As of April 9, there are 382 COVID-related hospitalizations, 106 patients in ICU and 60 on ventilators, Gov. Beshear's office is reporting.
The largest mass vaccination site in Kentucky will start administering the vaccine on Monday, April 12 at UofL's Cardinal Stadium.
“It’s encouraging to see our positivity rate decrease again, but we need to work even harder to make sure our weekly case numbers start decreasing again as well,” said Gov. Beshear. “Every Kentuckian 16 and older should get their COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. It’s fast, it’s safe, it’s easy and you could save a life by doing so, maybe even your own life.”
Thursday, April 8
Kentucky reported 645 new cases of COVID-19 and 16 more deaths. The state's current test positivity rate is 2.81%.
In order to prevent fraud, the state's unemployment insurance system will be shutting down for four days. Officials said hackers have been using "computerized automated processes" to guess PIN numbers on users' accounts.
The system will shutdown at midnight tonight and reopen Tuesday morning. During this time, people will not be able to file claims or request benefits. For those who need to file a claim during this time, officials said they will be able to backdate the claim once filing can resume. Those who need to request benefits will have a chance to get those benefits.
Users will be mailed a new 8-digit PIN number and will also have to re-register their account as if it is the first time.
The shutdown does not impact the internal processes and the office of unemployment will continue to process claims.
Wednesday, April 7
Kentucky announced 1,028 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Of the new cases, 300 of them are from Monday and Tuesday but could not be confirmed until today due to a technical issue.
Ten more deaths were also reported.
“Today’s case report reminds us that even though we’ve come so far in the fight against COVID-19, this isn’t over yet,” Gov. Beshear said in a release.
The governor urged everyone 16 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Eligibility for this group opened on Monday.
"Keep masking up in public spaces even if you have been vaccinated. None of us want to throw away our progress," Beshear said.
The governor's next live briefing will be Thursday, April 8 at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 6
Gov. Andy Beshear has announced 344 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths on Tuesday.
Beshear is still reminding people to take their part in getting vaccinated.
“If you haven’t gotten your COVID-19 vaccine yet, look at our list of where you can get your shot of hope this week, at vaccinemap.ky.gov,” said Gov. Beshear. “If you’ve already been vaccinated, reach out to one friend or family member who is still trying to get signed up and see if you can help them. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort. We are in a race against harmful COVID-19 variants that could threaten the progress we’ve all sacrificed so much to achieve.”
The positivity rate is at 2.89%.
Kentucky has reported 429,841 positive cases and 6,184 deaths.
Monday, April 5
Travel recommendations will be easing for Kentuckians who are fully vaccinated, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
During his Monday media briefing, the governor reiterated CDC guidelines advising those who have received full doses of the vaccination are less likely to get and spread COVID-19.
Beshear said the state isn’t asking or advising those to limit domestic travel.
“You still need to wear your mask – you still need to follow all protocols. That’s the big news in Kentucky.”
Kentuckians partaking in international travel will still need to take several steps to remain safe.
According to the CDC, the recommend delaying international travel first until you are fully vaccinated and if you are, continue to follow recommendations. Those who are returning from abroad are recommended to get a test at least 3 to 5 days after.
He’s asking those who have not had to avoid non-essential travel.
“If you are not vaccinated, it is not safe for you – not even remotely,” Beshear said.
It’s unclear how the Easter holiday weekend will play into case numbers.
Easter Sunday case numbers
With limited reporting on Sunday due to the holiday, Gov. Beshear announced 299 cases for Sunday with 5 new deaths and 9 from their death audit. The state’s positivity rate was reported at 2.89%.
Monday
Gov. Beshear reported 110 new cases – which is lower than the previous three weeks but said it could be due to the labs being closed on Sunday. He also reported 4 new deaths and 4 deaths from the audit. The positivity rate is at 2.9%.
Kentucky is also seeing more cases of the B117 variant of the coronavirus. Beshear said 83 more cases were found in Kentucky. Seventeen cases were found in Jefferson and 13 in Kenton County.
Vaccines
The state is continuing to make progress in getting Kentuckians vaccinated.
Kentucky has administered 1,438,557 first doses of the vaccine -- up 43% with those 18 and up.
The governor said vaccines are the state's ticket out of the pandemic.
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Starting Monday, April 5 all Kentuckians age 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Starting April 12, UofL Health will host a mass vaccination site at Cardinal Stadium which expected to vaccinate 4,000 people a day during its seven weeks of operation. Kentuckians 16 and older may now register for an appointment at UofL Health or by calling 502-681-1435.
For a list of other vaccination sites across the state, click here.
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