FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 20, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the commonwealth.
“Today’s report is good news and bad news. This virus is still out there and still aggressively spreading,” said Gov. Beshear. “But our positivity rate is now down to 5.18%, which is headed in the right direction.”
Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Aug. 20, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 41,626 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 726 of which were newly reported Thursday. Twenty of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger.
Gov. Beshear reported 14 new deaths Thursday, raising the total to 856 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
The deaths reported Thursday include a 66-year-old man from Barren County; a 95-year-old woman from Clay County; two men, ages 81 and 88, from Fayette County; an 88-year-old woman from Gallatin County; a 55-year-old man from Graves County; an 84-year-old woman from Harlan County; a 77-year-old woman from Hopkins County; an 89-year-old man from Jackson County; a 57-year-old man from Marion County; a 96-year-old woman from Oldham County; a 65-year-old woman from Pulaski County; and a 76-year-old man from Warren County. One family asked for their loved one’s demographics not to be shared.
As of Thursday, there have been at least 794,282 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.18%. At least 9,388 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here. To see all recent daily reports, click here.
Census Update
Today, Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander reminded Kentuckians of the importance of completing the 2020 census at 2020census.gov or by calling 844-330-2020. Kentuckians most comfortable in a language other than English can find multilingual census phone numbers here. At last count, 66.2% of Kentuckians have completed their census questionnaires. The deadline to submit once-per-decade census forms is Sept. 30, 2020.
Department of Aging and Independent Living Update
Today, Secretary Friedlander updated Kentuckians on the accomplishments of the Kentucky Department of Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For Kentucky’s 900,000 plus seniors ages 60 and up who live independently in our communities, nutrition has often been an issue,” said Secretary Friedlander. “For some of these vulnerable Kentuckians, it’s been a matter of transportation. For others, it’s been about not having enough money to pay for basic needs. For still others, they have had difficulty preparing meals. None of this is what we want for our seniors.”
DAIL has served 2.1 million meals to seniors in fiscal year 2020, and specifically, 1.4 million meals since March.
“DAIL has provided senior center meals and home-delivered meals thanks to the passage of the Older Americans Act in 1965. For some, this is their only meal of the day,” said Secretary Friedlander. “This is one of those success stories that should make us all proud to be Kentuckians.”
Secretary Friedlander highlighted that senior meals are another program supported by census completion.
Kentuckians who are interested in supporting seniors in their communities can reach out to local senior centers to volunteer to deliver meals. Kentuckians ages 60 and older who need meals may call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 877-925-0037.
Kentucky State Fair Opening Day
Today, the Governor thanked the members of the Kentucky State Fair Board for their hard work to design a fair that would keep many traditions alive while also ensuring the safety of Kentuckians. The participants-only Kentucky State Fair opens today and runs until Saturday, Aug. 29. Today, the fair featured 4-H and FFA youth showing dairy cows and goats.
“Although this year’s fair looks different, it continues to highlight Kentucky’s premiere agriculture and equestrian industries,” said Gov. Beshear. “With nearly 76,000 farms and over 240,000 horses in the commonwealth, the state fair has a long history of celebrating the best Kentucky has to offer.”
For more information on the fair’s schedule and COVID-19 precautions, visit the fair’s website.