Beshear cites second straight week with fewer cases as proof his restrictions worked; Covid-19 deaths this week set a new record

New York Times chart, relabeled by Kentucky Health News

By Al Cross

Kentucky Health News

As Kentucky ended the second week with fewer cases of the novel coronavirus than the week before, Gov. Andy Beshear took credit. But his daily report also showed that the immediate legacy of the surge he was trying to stem was the largest number of deaths from Covid-19 in one week.

“What we are seeing is that the measures we have taken are working,” Beshear said in a news release. “We have stopped the increase in cases, which we knew we had to do before we can start to decrease those numbers. Let’s all commit to doing what we know is right – wearing masks, social distancing, washing our hands and limiting our holiday gatherings – so we can beat this virus once and for good.”

The state reported 3,388 new cases of the virus, bringing the weekly total of unadjusted daily numbers to 20,016, compared to 22,707 last week and 24,080 the week before, which was also the record for any seven-day period. The seven-day rolling average fell to 2,859, the lowest since Nov. 30.

Cases lead to hospitalizations, which lead to deaths, and this week had more than any other: 179, two more than the previous record week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5. More such figures are expected, because case numbers remain high.

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the last seven days is 8.58%, about where it has been all week, another sign the surge has abated.

“Perseverance in the weeks ahead is critical as vaccine supplies increase,” Health Commissioner Steven Stack said in the release. “It would be an added tragedy to reverse our hard-won progress through leisure travel and large gatherings. Some hospitals are already near full capacity, and that could make it difficult to receive care if there is an added holiday surge.”

Kentucky hospitals reported 1,655 Covid-19 patients, 438 of them in intensive care and 253 of those on ventilators, one short of the ventilator record.

Stack advised, “Watch your space, wear a mask, and wash your hands to ensure that 2021 is a year of hope and healing.”

Saturday's fatalities were a 62-year-old man from Bell County; a 75-year-old Christian County man; a 92-year-old woman and five men, 62, 73, 83, 83 and 97, from Daviess County; a 61-year-old Fayette County man; a Grayson County man, 50; a Hancock County woman, 63; a Hardin County woman, 85; a man, 79, and two women, 58 and 97, from Jefferson County; a Jessamine County woman, 96; a Knott County woman, 77; a Marion County man, 91; a Ohio County man, 70; an Oldham County woman, 87; two Owsley County men, 69 and 88; two Pike County women, 50 and 84; a Shelby County man, 78; a Spencer County man, 63; and Webster County woman, 89. 

Counties with more than 10 new cases were: Jefferson, 459; Kenton, 174; Fayette, 151; Pulaski, 141; Daviess, 137; Boone, 129; Campbell, 112; Warren, 101; Russell, 67; Christian, 64; Hardin, 63; Adair, 47; Wayne, 45; Laurel, 43; Clinton and McCracken, 41; Henderson, 40; Bullitt, 39; Carter, 37; Barren and Madison, 35; Hopkins and Knox, 33; Bell, Casey and Pike, 32; Shelby, 31; Oldham, 30; Grant, 29; Marshall and Trigg, 28; Todd, 27; Anderson, Calloway, Graves, Letcher and McCreary, 26; Allen, Green and Jessamine, 24; Henry, 23; Clark and Morgan, 22; Logan, Menifee and Scott, 21; Nelson and Whitley, 20; Boyle and Taylor, 19; Greenup and Meade, 18; Grayson, 17; Clay, Lewis and Spencer, 16; Floyd, Franklin, Hart, Montgomery, Union and Washington, 15; Breathitt, Estill, Harlan and LaRue, 14; Powell and Simpson, 13; Boyd, Marion and Woodford, 12; and Carroll, Lawrence, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Pendleton and Perry, 11.

In other coronavirus news:

• The Christian County Health Department issued a written quarantine order Thursday to a teenage girl who had twice danced in a performance of "The Nutcracker" by a local gymnastics school after testing positive for the virus and disregarding an earlier, oral request, the Hoptown Chronicle reports. The Pennyroyal Arts Council, which hosted the event at its Alhambra Theatre, notified parents of the other performers.
• The Moderna coronavirus vaccine was approved for distribution and doses are expected to arrive in Kentucky within days, probably getting wider distribution than the Pfizer Inc. vaccine because it does not require ultra-cold storage. The first shipments will still be for health-care workers and nursing homes.
• The general in charge of distributing vaccines apologized for "miscommunication" with states who were told that they would be getting fewer doses next week that they were first told. "I know that's not  done much these days," Gen. Gus Perna said. "But I'm responsible."
• The Washington Post tells, as its headline reads, "The inside story of how Trump’s denial, mismanagement and magical thinking led to the pandemic’s dark winter."
• Congressional negotiators remained deadlocked over another relief bill, the final sticking point being Republicans' bid to limit emergency lending by the Federal Reserve.
• Texas A&M Professor Barbara Gastel, writing in The Conversation, gives 10 reasons why Dr. Anthony Fauci "was ready to be the face of the U.S. pandemic response." They were "smarts, integrity, reliability, empathy, energy, trustworthiness, connections, communication, recognizability and teamwork."