Vaping and substance use in Kentucky schools has spiked in the last five years, especially in the younger grades; up 147% overall

Kentucky Department of Education graph from Infinite Campus data; the overall increase was 147%.

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The number of drug, alcohol and tobacco events recorded by schools have increased in schools at all levels across Kentucky, according to data collected by Infinite Campus, an online student information tracking system.

A look at the data from 2017-28 through 2022-23 found that Kentucky's elementary schools saw a 475% increase in drug, alcohol and tobacco events, from 140 events to 805. Kentucky middle schools saw a 281% jump, from 2,336 to 8,912. High schools saw a 107% increase, from 8,995 to 18,651. 

"The biggest increases are with the younger students. So it tells us like forecasting ahead, what we need to be thinking about as we develop the guidance that goes around this," said Florence Chang, with the Kentucky Department of Education's Division of Student Success. "Parallel with this, it would be irresponsible to not also mention that correlated and associated with the increase in substance abuse and vaping that there's also been this increase in psychological distress." 

The data were shared at an April 24 Education Department Student Advisory Council meeting, where students discussed the increase in substance use and what they thought were reasons for it. One said that the real vaping numbers are likely higher because many incidents or events are not recorded.

Department of Education graph from Kentucky
Incentives for Prevention survey of students

Information from the latest Kentucky Incentives for Prevention survey shows an association between serious psychological distress and substance abuse. The study found that students who experienced and reported having psychological stress were 2.5 times more likely to vape, 2.5 times more likely to use cannabis, 2.2 times more likely to binge drink and 3 times more likely to use cigarettes. 

The students suggested several reasons beyond psychological distress for the increases in vaping, including peer pressure, an increase in use of social media among elementary students, and easy accessibility to the products. 

Another student suggested it was a learned behavior. “We see a lot of adults in our lives, said Ava Benson, a senior at Henderson County High School. “They've had a rough day at work, so they're going to have a glass of wine or they smoke cigarettes because of stress." 

Judi Vanderhaar of the Education Department's Division of Student Success said the department's recommendations for districts and schools include implementing prevention efforts, supportive responses for students and updating school policies.

During its recent session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 142, which requires school districts to adopt specific policies that penalize students for possession of "alternative nicotine products, tobacco products or vapor products" and report nicotine-related incidents to the Education Department. Senate language, adopted by the House, allows schools and governing bodies to apply for grants related to nicotine usage and remove the requirement that schools suspend students with a third possession violation.

London police told Phil Pendleton of WKYT that they have been called to schools to investigate serious situations because of vaping. “We have had several instances where EMS was called to schools, and it came out as an overdose, but it turned out it was more to do with vaping,” London Officer Hobie Daugherty told Pendleton.

It's Heart Month, which confronts the leading killer in the U.S.; here are five ways to keep your heart healthy or make it healthier.

University of Florida illustration

Kentucky Health News

February is American Heart Month, which focuses on the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and ways to lower your risk for heart disease. Here are five ways to boost your heart health, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Exercise regularly. Maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of heart disease prevention, and regular exercise is one way to achieve this. The surgeon general recommends that adults get two and a half hours of moderate physical activity like walking or biking weekly. Children and adolescents should aim for an hour of physical activity every day.

Eat healthy. Establishing healthy eating habits is another way to maintain a healthy weight. Avoid foods that are high in saturated fat and trans fat. Opt for foods that are high in fiber and low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol to help prevent high cholesterol. Foods with lower sodium can help lower your blood pressure, and consuming foods with less sugar can help keep your blood sugar under control.

Set limits. Limiting your alcohol intake and avoiding smoking can also help you prevent heart disease. Knowing your limits and setting boundaries can help you stay disciplined, which is another vital part of lowering your risk for heart disease.

Monitor health conditions. If you struggle with high blood pressure or high cholesterol or have diabetes, managing these conditions is a key part of preventing and lowering your risk for heart disease. Consult with doctors and other members of your health team to see what their recommendations are for managing existing medical conditions. They may prescribe medicines to help manage your blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar, along with lifestyle changes to help.

Work with a team. It's important to work with your health care team if any of your conditions change, if your family has a history of any of these medical conditions or if you suspect you might be at risk for them. Consult your doctor if you’ve already had a heart attack or if you struggle with mental-health issues. Create a treatment plan that works for you and discuss it regularly, making adjustments when necessary. Don’t stop taking any prescribed medicines before talking to your doctor.

Prioritizing heart health is critical for preventing and lowering your risk for heart disease. For more tips to boost heart health, visit cdc.gov/heartdisease/prevention.htm.

Lesser-known health benefit of Dry January: cancer prevention

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism graphic

By Rachel C. Miller

University of Kentucky

As we begin 2024, resolutions to eat healthier and exercise more are likely on many minds. This year, you may consider adding another: reducing alcohol or taking a break altogether. Many people have also started to participate in “Dry January” – a month-long vow to go alcohol-free.

Beyond the well-known health benefits of improved sleep, clearer skin, increased energy and shedding extra weight, ditching alcohol offers another often-overlooked advantage – reducing your risk of cancer.

Research shows a link between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of several cancers, including head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast and colorectal. Emerging evidence also suggests a connection to melanoma, prostate, and pancreatic cancers.

Alcohol damages the DNA in our bodies’ cells, impairs nutrient absorption, promotes inflammation, and disrupts hormones – all factors that can increase cancer risk.

Whether you're considering Dry January or a long-term reduction in your alcohol intake, here are some tips for success: 

• Set clear goals. Decide if you want to abstain completely or adopt a low-alcohol approach.
• Find your "why." Remind yourself why reducing alcohol is important to you, whether it's cancer prevention, improved sleep, or simply a desire to feel your best.
• Find alternatives. Explore non-alcoholic beverages that satisfy your cravings. Sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice, herbal teas, and mocktails are great options.
• Plan ahead. Stock up on your favorite alternatives and choose situations where alcohol less of a center of activity.
• Get support. Tell family and friends about your goals – their encouragement can make all the difference. You may also consider joining online communities or connecting with friends who share the same goals.

Dry January serves as an excellent starting point for adopting a healthier relationship with alcohol all year long. Even for those who choose to drink, moderation is key. 

Federal dietary guidelines recommend limiting alcohol to two drinks or less per day for men and one drink or less for women. A standard size drink is 12 ounces of regular beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.

Quitting alcohol "cold turkey" can be dangerous for some individuals. If you engage in binge or heavy drinking, it is best to first consult your doctor for guidance and safe reduction strategies.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a problem with alcohol, help is available via the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. NIAAA also has resources online to help you find treatment options.

Rachel C. Miller is a registered dietitian at the UK Markey Cancer Center.

Young heavy drinkers much more likely to carry a handgun

Kentucky Health News

A young person in rural America who drinks heavily is 43% more likely to carrying a handgun in the following year, according to a study conducted in seven states over 15 years and published in The Journal of Rural Health.

“Our study establishes a clear link between these two behaviors in rural areas, and there are evidence-based prevention programs to address both,” said lead author Alice Ellyson, an acting assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington.

The study defined "heavy drinking" as consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks in a row at least once in the two weeks before the question was asked of 2,002 youth, aged 12 to 26, from 12 rural communities in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Survey responses were collected annually from 2004 to 2019 starting with children who were in fifth or sixth grade, as part of the university's national Community Youth Development Study (CYDS).

Ellyson told Kentucky Healh News that no Southern states were included in the study because the Southern communities that participated in the survey consortium that helped develop the CYDS "chose not to continue as part of the community-randomized trial portion where we obtained our data for this study."

The association between heavy drinking and gun-carrying also was evident (38% greater) among young adults ages 19 to 26, perhaps not surprising, due to minimum legal ages for drinking. The study did not break out differences between male and female respondents or address their likelihood of firing the handgun.

"Recent evidence suggests that rural adolescents may start carrying a handgun earlier and carry with a higher frequency and duration than their urban counterparts," the university says. "Handgun-carrying is associated with bullying, physical violence, and other risk factors for violence.

"Understanding youth behaviors associated with carrying a firearm has significant safety implications. In 2020, suicide and homicide were among the leading causes of death among U.S. individuals ages 12-26 years. About 91% of homicides and 52% of suicides among this age group involved a firearm."

For adolescents, Ellyson says, the message is simple: Don’t drink alcohol or carry a handgun. But she said young adults, will need a more nuanced message: “Both alcohol use and handgun-carrying become legal in young adulthood. We want to use a harm-reduction approach for young adults who engage in both behaviors (drinking and handgun carrying) so they are done in a safe way,” she said.

Communities That Care is a program for preventing these behaviors and their consequences in rural areas. It has no communities in Southern states, "but they would be very willing for that to change," Ellyson told Kentucky Health News.

The university says, "An earlier study by Ellyson and colleagues found six distinct patterns of when and how often individuals in a rural area carry a handgun. In these communities, young people carry handguns at more than twice the rate of their counterparts in urban settings. Because alcohol use is also more common among rural youth, prevention programs focusing on them are important."

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and state agency start effort to encourage Kentuckians to improve immunity and overall health

One of the graphics used to promote the campaign

A new campaign encourages Kentuckians to boost their overall health and immunity to combat chronic conditions and Covid-19, the effects of which are still being felt across the state.

“Raise Your Guard, Kentucky” is a partnership between the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services to encourage Kentuckians to adopt habits that will improve their health and reverse negative health impacts.

Since the pandemic began about three years ago, chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease have increased in Kentucky, especially among African Americans. 

“Kentuckians have long struggled with chronic conditions, but the pandemic has certainly made it worse,” said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation. “We don’t have to accept this as status quo. We can take action to help our bodies be in better condition to fight off the next virus – whether that’s a new Covid-19 variant, the flu, or another illness, as well as combat chronic disease.”

“Raise Your Guard, Kentucky” encourages people to:

• Eat well: Emphasize fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Limit saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.
• Move more. Physical activity is one of the most important aspects of overall health.
• Stay up to date on all immunizations. Children and adults need protection from vaccine-preventable diseases including measles, shingles, flu, and Covid-19.
• Schedule annual check-ups and screenings: Preventive check-ups with your health-care provider and dentist can catch potential issues in the early stages. Get recommended screenings, including mammograms, colonoscopies, bone density and lung cancer screenings.
• Maintain a healthy weight: Excess weight can affect how your body functions. It can also lower vaccine effectiveness for numerous diseases including influenza, hepatitis B and tetanus.
• Drink lots of water: Getting enough water every day is important to prevent dehydration, a condition that can cause unclear thinking, mood change, your body to overheat, and lead to constipation and kidney stones.
• Get enough sleep: Studies show not getting enough sleep can negatively affect the immune system and is linked with many chronic diseases and conditions.
• Quit smoking and vaping. They harm the immune system and can make the body less able to fight off disease.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. Over time, excessive alcohol use can weaken the immune system and lead to various short- and long-term health impacts such as heart disease, cancer, and increased risk of getting sick from a cold or virus.
• Try to minimize stress. Long-term, stress promotes inflammation and an imbalance of immune cell function. Learning to cope with everyday stressors and challenges is vital for success in life, school and work.
• Wash your hands. Good personal hygiene can prevent the spread of infection.

“Small healthy choices add up to a big positive impact to ensure that every Kentuckian has the opportunity to reach their full human potential,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the state Department for Public Health. “Working together, we can create the conditions that enable every Kentuckian to thrive.”

The “Raise Your Guard, Kentucky” campaign includes a video series featuring everyday people from across the state who share why and how they stay healthy:

• Lacretia Dye, an associate professor at Western Kentucky University, hosts a community yoga class each week.
• Fannie Callahan, a Beattyville retiree, walks every day to prevent diabetes and improve her overall health.
• Kota Young, the Caldwell County judge-executive, has a passion for his community. He shares how he stays healthy so he can better serve.
• Harlan Holmes, a Bowling Green man who learned at 25 that his blood pressure was alarmingly high. He began a “couch to 5K” program, reduced his blood pressure to healthy levels, and has continued running to maintain his health.
• Bethany Pratt of Louisville, an urban farmer, teaches others how to grow their own food, even with limited space.
• Mike Wilkinson of Lexington visits Red River Gorge to climb and hike for physical and mental stress relief.

Kentucky organizations are encouraged to download the videos, graphics, and other educational materials to share with their contacts and use on social media. Materials may be downloaded for free here. Additional videos will be added.

The foundation says it has engaged with nearly 2,000 Kentuckians through focus groups, surveys and polls to learn their perspectives on Covid-19 vaccines and boosters, as well as the pandemic, in general. “Raise Your Guard, Kentucky” messages and delivery vehicles reflect the insights gleaned from this input and are culturally relevant and responsive to the audience. The campaign's resources are available in English, Spanish and Swahili. Learn more at RaiseYourGuardKY.org.

Observing 'Dry January' can bring lasting benefits, studies show

Photo illustration for The Washington Post by Linnea Bullion

People who observe "Dry January," abstaining from alcohol during the month, often drink less the rest of the year and show "striking improvements in their health," Anahad O'Connor of The Washington Post reports. The observance "is widely viewed as a temporary test of willpower — followed by a return to old drinking habits when the month ends. But according to research, that’s often not what happens."

Studies in the United Kingdom have shown that people who participate in sobriety challenges "frequently experience lasting benefits," O'Connor reports. "Often, they drink less in the long run and make other sustained changes to their drinking habits that lead to striking improvements in their health and well-being." One possible reason: a month "provides opportunities to form new habits — like turning down alcohol in social settings, which in the long run can be empowering. And taking a break from alcohol can trigger immediate health benefits, like weight loss, better sleep, and a boost to your mood and energy levels, which can reinforce the new habit."

Richard de Visser, a psychologist at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in England, who has studied the phenomenon, told O'Connor, “It becomes a reinforcing message instead of a punishing message. Instead of public health people wagging their fingers and saying, ‘Don’t drink, it’s bad for you,’ people do it and say, ‘I didn’t realize how good I would feel.’ They often don’t realize how much stopping drinking will improve their sleep, or their concentration, or even just their levels of energy in the morning.” But 11% of participants have a rebound effect, drinking more afterward.

The observance was started 10 years ago by Alcohol Change UK, a British nonprofit that has a website where you can sign up to get support, also available via a mobile app. "Last year, 130,000 people globally signed up to participate in Dry January," OConnor reports, offering other "tips that could increase your odds of success:" Do it with a friend. Find a new favorite drink that has no alcohol. Track how much money you save (which you can do on the app). "Manage your triggers; instead of meeting your friend at a bar after work, suggest going to a movie, taking a long walk, or having dinner at a restaurant instead."

UPDATE, Jan. 2: The New York Times recommends non-alcoholic wines.
Jan. 3: The Courier-Journal offers tips on how to be "sober curious" and still have fun.

Kentucky had the second highest increase in deaths caused by alcohol, drugs and suicide in 2020, just behind West Virginia

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

In the first year of the pandemic, the United States experienced the highest-ever combined rates of deaths due to alcohol, drugs and suicide, and Kentucky's rate was second in the nation, according to a report released by Trust for America's Health and Well Being Trust.

Nationwide, deaths associated with alcohol, drugs and suicide, called "deaths of despair," took the lives of 186,763 Americans in 2020, a 20 percent increase from 2019. It included the highest number of substance-misuse deaths ever recorded for a single year, according to the report.

Kentucky's combined deaths of despair increased 36% between 2019 and 2020, the second only to West Virginia, which had a 37% increase.

Maps are from the report

In 2020, the latest Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths  report shows Kentucky had 3,680 combined deaths from alcohol, drug and suicide, an age-adjusted rate of 82.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Of those, 738 were alcohol-induced (37%); 2,187 were drug-induced ( 47%); and 801 were by suicide (7%). 

“With the trends continuing to go in the wrong direction we must ask ourselves, what will it take to move to robust and comprehensive action? The story behind these data is beyond devastating and heartbreaking to those families who have suffered loss,” Dr. Benjamin F. Miller, president, of Well Being Trust, said in the release. 

He added, “Let’s begin to address this crisis with the urgency it deserves by bringing care to where people are. From schools to primary care to our workplaces, let’s ensure that all places are equipped to address mental health and substance misuse. This is not just the responsibility of the mental health and addiction field – but all our responsibility.”

The release notes that while deaths of despair have increased for decades, the national increase in 2020 was unprecedented and driven by a 30% increase in drug-induced deaths and a 27% increase in those related to alcohol. 

According to the report authors and other experts, the 2020 increase in alcohol and drug deaths was exacerbated by: the rise in synthetic opioid and psychostimulant overdoses, disruptions to recovery and treatment programs, and the financial hardships many individuals and families experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report offers detailed recommendations for local, state and federal governments to take to reverse this crisis, including ways to invest in programs that promote and prevent substance misuse and suicide, programs and policies that address substance misuse and overdoses, and ways to increase access and ensuring parity for  mental health and substance use disorder treatment, all while working to decrease stigma. 

The report also examines the last two decades of the drug overdose crisis, including an analysis of the underlying causes and policy responses, with a  call to rethink strategies to match the crisis. It also includes an interview with Sam Quinones, author of two acclaimed books on the opioid crisis, about the need to heal communities in order to deal with the addiction crisis.

Recent genetic and medical study of 371,000 in United Kingdom concludes that no amount of alcohol is good for your heart

WebMD photo

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Although observational studies have indicated that moderate alcohol consumption is good for your heart, a new genetic and medical study of 371,000 people in the United Kingdom determined that any level of alcohol consumption is linked with a higher risks of heart disease – and the more you drink, the greater the risk. 

Not only does the study suggest that alcohol can lead to cardiovascular disease, there are "unequal and exponential increases in risk at greater levels of intake," the researchers conclude. They said that "should be accounted for in health recommendations around the habitual consumption of alcohol." 

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that the risk of cardiovascular disease is "relatively modest" for those who consume up to seven drinks per week, but that risk increases exponentially with more alcohol. 

The researchers question whether an average consumption of two drinks per day should be considered low-risk behavior and emphasize the need for "aggressive efforts to reduce alcohol intake among heavy drinkers." 

The researchers define light alcohol consumption as up to eight drinks per week; moderate consumption as 8 to 15 per week; heavy consumption as 15 to 24; and abusive consumption as more than 24 drinks per week.

While this study found that moderate drinkers have less heart disease than heavy drinkers or those who abstain, it suggested another cause for that: Those with light to moderate alcohol consumption also had healthier overall lifestyles, such as smoking less or not at all, exercising more, and eating healthier. 

"The reported cardioprotective effects of light to moderate alcohol consumption may be the product of confounding lifestyle factors," says the report.

The study looked at the connection between genes that are linked to alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease for more than 371,000 people who participate in the U.K. Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database that allows researchers to study participants' genes and their relationship to health. Their average age was 57 and they reported consuming an average of 9.2 drinks per week. 

Understanding your alcohol intake can help assess how alcohol may affect your health, Dr. Danielle Anderson, an addiction medicine specialist with UK HealthCare, said in a recent article titled, "When One More Drink Can be Dangerous to Your Health." 

Assessing alcohol intake starts with counting the number of “standard drinks” you have in a week, Anderson writes. A “standard drink” is a 12-ounce beer containing 5% alcohol, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor containing 40 percent alcohol (80 proof). 

The federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that men of legal drinking age either abstain or limit intake to two drinks or less in a day, and that women abstain or limit intake to one drink or less in per day. The guidelines say drinking less is better for health than drinking more. 

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse on Alcoholism defines binge drinking as consuming five drinks for men or four drinks for women on the same day within a couple hours. 

If you have alcohol-use disorder, the current medical term for was once called alcoholism, treatments are available that include medications, therapy and involvement in mutual support programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or the Supportive Medication And Recovery Treatment (SMART), Anderson notes. 

Anderson, an assistant professor in the UK Department of Psychiatry, advises, "Talk to your provider about your health conditions and medications prior to using alcohol. If you are drinking above the recommended amounts of alcohol, talk with your provider about your concerns."

Kentucky still ranks 37th in well-being of children in latest Kids Count Data Book, but isn't progressing as much as other states

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

The annual Kids Count Data Book on children's well-being, released June 21 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Kentucky Youth Advocates, again ranks Kentucky 37th in the nation for the overall well-being of its children. 

The latest data are for 2019, and are largely compared with data from 2010. The report rates children's overall well-being through 16 indicators in four major domains: health, economic security, education and family and community. 

Overall, Kentucky saw improvement in 11 of the 16 indicators, did worse in three of them and stayed the same on one. One measure did not show a comparison. 

“Though the commonwealth made progress on a number of indicators of child well-being between 2010 and 2019, rankings show we are not making progress as quickly as other states – and that progress is in jeopardy unless federal and state policymakers act boldly to sustain the beginnings of pandemic recovery efforts,” Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said in a news release. 

Nearly one in four Kentuckians are children. Here's a look at each domain.

Charts from Kids Count Data Book; to enlarge any one of them, click on it.

Health: Kentucky's health ranking improved this year, to 35th. Last year's report ranked Kentucky 42nd after changing one of the domain's indicators to measure childhood obesity instead of youth alcohol and drug abuse. The last report to use the original indicator was in 2019, when the state ranked 25th for health. 

The report says 37 percent of Kentucky's children were either overweight or obese in 2018-19, the same as in 2016-17. The national rate is 31%. Kentucky has the highest childhood obesity rate in the nation. 

Kentucky continues to have a low rate of children without health insurance, 4%. The national average is 6%. The news release reports that about  45,000 Kentucky children remain uninsured.

Another indicator of children's health is the rate of babies born weighing less than 5.5 pounds. That is 8.7% in Kentucky, where it has hovered for years. 

Education: Kentucky ranked 30th in the report's Education domain, down from 27th last year. 

The best news in this category is that 91% of Kentucky high-school students graduate on time. 

The bad news is that the share of preschool-age children not in preschool increased to 60% in 2017-19, from 57% in 2009-11. And the share of fourth-graders not proficient in reading inched up to 65% in 2019, from 64% in 2009. 

And though the share of eighth graders who are not proficient in mathematics improved to 71% in 2019, from 73% in 2009, that still means only 29% of the state's eighth graders are proficient in math. 

Economic well-being: Kentucky ranks 40th in economic well-being, with all four indicators showing improvement since 2010. 

The percentage of Kentucky children in poverty dropped to 22% in 2019, from 26% in 2010; children whose parents lack secure employment dropped to 31% from 37%; and teens who are not in school and not working dropped to 8% from 11%. 

Also, the percentage of children living in households with a high housing cost burden dropped to 23% in 2019 from 32% in 2010.  A high housing-cost household is defined as one where more than 30% of monthly household pre-tax income is spent on housing-related expenses, including rent, mortgage payments, taxes and insurance.

Family and Community: Kentucky ranked 43rd in the family and community domain, down from 41st in last year's report. 

Kentucky improved in three family-and-community indicators, including children living in high-poverty areas (15%), children living in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma (11%) and teen births.

The number of teen births in Kentucky continues to drop. In 2019, there were 25 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19. In 2010, that number was 46 per 1,000. The national average is 17 per 1,000. 

The percentage of children living in single-parent homes increased to 36% in 2019, from 35% in 2010. 

Impacts of the pandemic

"We cannot talk about child well-being in any meaningful way in this moment — or address the considerable challenges America’s children and families now face — without discussing the effects of the coronavirus," Lisa M. Hamilton, president and CEO of The Annie E. Casey Foundation, writes in the foreword to the report. 

To capture the impact of the last year, the Data Book takes a look at information collected in the Household Pulse Survey, which the report says was conducted in multiple waves since the onset of the pandemic by the Census Bureau and is the only source of robust national and state data related to the pandemic. 

“The supplemental pandemic-era survey data highlighted in the Data Book gives us a clearer picture of how families are faring today, including the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on families of color," said Brooks. 

Key findings about Kentucky children in the supplemental report include: 

• In 2020, one in five (20%) Kentucky adults with children in their household had little or no confidence in their ability to make their next rent or mortgage payment, with the highest rates experienced by Black families (40%) and Latinx families (30%). By March 2021, the statewide rate was at 15%, suggesting the beginnings of a recovery. 
• 15% of Kentucky households with children reported sometimes or often not having enough food to eat throughout 2020 – a family stressor that hit Black households (26%) and a combination of smaller racial groups (American Indian, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and those of more than one race) the hardest (29%). This statistic only slightly improved overall in March 2021 to 13%.
• More than one in four (26%) Kentucky adults living in households with children felt down, depressed, or hopeless in 2020, with only slight improvement (22%) by March 2021.

Brooks, of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said, “The commonwealth can and will bounce back from the ripple effects of the pandemic, and a key component of that is ensuring kids and families have the resources to meet basic needs and overcome daily challenges.”

Brooks praised the state's leaders for supporting children during the pandemic, by supporting child care, using federal funds to address the pervasive "digital divide," and ensuring schoolchildren have access to food while learning at home through the pandemic EBT program. 

KYA wants Congress to make the expansion of the child tax credit permanent, and wants Kentucky to enact its own refundable earned-income tax credit; to focus on increasing access to high-quality child care; to use federal funds to improve school-based mental-health supports for students; to expand school-based nutrition programs; to allow state employees 12 weeks of paid family leave after the birth or adoption of a child; and to double down on efforts to support families involved in the child welfare system. 

The Kids Count Data Center provides current and trend data for child well-being indicators related to each of the four domains in the report, at both a state and county level. It also offers a feature to create customized tables, maps, bar charts and graphs.

Georgetown judge blocks enforcement of Beshear's bar-and-restaurant orders against 5 bars in 4 cities; governor appeals

Goodwood Brewing in Louisville owns three of the bars. (Courier Journal photo by Marty Pearl)

A Scott County judge issued an injunction Friday exempting several businesses from Gov. Andy Beshear's emergency orders, and Beshear appealed to the Court of Appeals.

Scott Circuit Judge Brian Privett ruled in a suit filed by Trindy’s in Georgetown; Goodwood Brewing Co., doing business as Louisville Taproom, Frankfort Brewpub and Lexington Brewpub; and Kelmaro, doing business as The Dundee Tavern, in Louisville, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

The firms are represented by Oliver Dunford of the Pacific Legal Foundation, a libertarian-oriented group that says it "defends Americans’ liberties when threatened by government overreach and abuse." 

Dunford told the Herald-Leader that the suit was filed in Scott County because of Trindy’s. Privett has ruled against Beshear in similar instances.

Privett wrote that his order applied only to the businesses in the case. It exempts them from orders that limit restaurants and bars to 60% capacity and requires them to stop serving by midnight and close by 1 a.m.

He said it's likely that the Court of Appeals will stay his order quickly, and that the Supreme Court will consider his order and that of Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd, who extended his injunction blocking the legislature's efforts to limit Beshear's emergency powers during the pandemic.

Privett noted that the case before Shepherd involves only the governor and the legislature, while his includes businesses: “By issuing this temporary injunction, the court gives these plaintiff businesses, the business community, and general citizenry of the commonwealth a real say in the matters.”

New federal nutrition guides, which influence school lunches, food stamps and diabetes, ignore experts' calls for less sugar, alcohol

New federal nutritional guidelines unveiled last week, which influence everything from school lunches and military rations to food stamps, ignored scientific advisers' calls to lower recommended sugar and alcohol intake. Agency officials said there wasn't enough evidence to advise stricter limits on sugar and alcohol, but emphasized that people should cut back on both. The advice has meaning for Kentucky, where nearly half the population has diabetes or pre-diabetes.

"The updated guidelines are the first to include dietary advice for infants, toddlers and pregnant women," Ryan McCrimmon reports for Politico's Weekly Agriculture. "They also have a broader theme of encouraging consumers to 'make every bite count' by choosing nutrient-rich foods and beverages, with five categories — fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein — accounting for 85 percent of daily calories."

The Department of Agriculture and the Department for Health and Human Services have jointly released updated guidelines every five years since 1980. The federal government hired an independent panel of 20 doctors, nutritionists and public-health experts from major academic institutions to assist in creating the new guidelines. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee "suggested the guidelines should take a harder line against added sugars, but USDA and HHS decided to keep the Obama-era advice that individuals try to not consume more than 10 percent of their calories from added sugars," Helena Bottemiller Evich reports for Politico. "The committee had recommended dropping the limit down even further to 6 percent."

The committee also "recommended in June that the guidelines should urge men to cut back on alcohol by reducing the government’s definition of 'moderate drinking' from two drinks per day to one. (At the time, the panel recommended keeping the definition of moderate drinking the same for women, at one drink per day.)," Evich reports. "Government officials ultimately decided to not adopt the stricter alcohol recommendation, which had sparked furious pushback and lobbying from the alcohol industry.

The dietary guidelines have long been a political football because of their influence over federal nutrition programs, Evich reports.

Fewer than 4% of Kentuckians tested positive for virus in last seven days; Beshear allows bars to open until midnight

Department for Public Health map, adapted by Kentucky Health News; click on it for a larger version.

By Mary Meehan
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky’s positive-test rate for the novel coronavirus dropped to the lowest level in two months Tuesday, but Gov. Andy Beshear said wearing a mask continues to be crucial to thwarting the virus as more schools move to in-person instruction.

“Today we are now under a 4 percent positivity rate that is moving in the right direction at a time when we are giving guidance, especially to school systems, about how to at least get back to a hybrid model starting on Sept. 28,” Beshear said at his daily briefing. The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the last seven days was 3.97%.

Beshear and Health Commissioner Steven Stack rolled out a new plan Monday designed to help schools decide whether to open to in-person learning. The guidance asks schools to consider two things: the statewide percentage of people testing positive for the virus, which needs to be under 6%, and the prevalence of the virus in their community, based on cases per population.

On Tuesday, Beshear announced 745 new coronavirus cases and reported nine more deaths from covid-19, bringing the state's death toll to 1,074.

There was a spike of cases in another vulnerable population – the elderly living in long-term care facilities. Beshear said one had 18 new cases on Saturday that were verified Tuesday, for a total of 59 new residents and 33 new employees testing positive for the virus. Two of the nine deaths announced Tuesday were in long-term care facilities.

Beshear announced that bars and restaurants will be allowed to stay open an extra hour, moving last call to 11 p.m. The establishments must be closed by midnight, he said.

“That was a specific request from those in the restaurant industry,” he said. “We thought it was reasonable. But again, let's make sure that whether you're in that industry or any other that has some rules and regulations that you're trying to do it right, that we're not trying to find a way to get around it.”

Bars and restaurants continue to operate at 50% capacity and patrons must remain seated unless going to the bathroom.

The governor noted that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, stressing that wearing a mask is especially important to children getting cancer treatment.

“Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for kids in our state, in our country, and around the world,” he said. Kentucky has the fourth highest rate of pediatric brain tumors in the country.

Beshear showed a video of David Turner, Jr., 9, who has a rare form of brain cancer with no known cure. In the video, Turner and his cousin reminded Kentuckians that “Kids get cancer too” and asked them to spread awareness about the disease. Beshear said Turner has spoken at the Capitol rotunda several times to encourage Kentuckians to wear a mask.

“His family never knows exactly how many days they might have with the person they love most in the world,” said Beshear. “So, it is not a lot to ask for each of you out there to wear a mask to ensure that these parents and this child get as much time together as possible.”

In other covid-19 news Tuesday: 

• There were 533 people hospitalized in Kentucky with covid-19 and 125 in intensive care.
• The deaths announced Tuesday were a 90-year-old man from Bullitt County; an 83-year-old woman from Hopkins County; two women, 65 and 94, and two men, 48 and 73, from Jefferson County; a 93-year-old woman from Kenton County; and two men, ages 84 and 88, from Warren County. 
• Counties with more than 10 new cases are Jefferson, 131; Fayette, 57; Logan, 50; Warren, 49; Madison, 32; Hardin, 29; Kenton, 18; Daviess, 17; Oldham, 17; McCracken, 16; Boone, 14; Shelby and Taylor, 11 each; and Barren and Bullitt, 10 each. 
• There were 313 active cases in children in grades K-12 and 159 active cases in employees. There were 1,124 active cases at Kentucky colleges or universities and 49 active cases in employees.
• Louisville's top health official questioned the accuracy of President Trump’s timeline for a coronavirus vaccine. Dr. Sarah Moyer said a vaccine may be approved by late October or November, but doses will be reserved for health-care professionals and vulnerable populations, and most Americans won't likely be in line for a shot for another year, the Courier Journal reports. Moyer, speaking at a morning briefing with Mayor Greg Fischer, said there are Phase III clinical trials underway, including one starting up in Louisville soon, but she doesn't expect that study to be completed by November. 
• WKYT reports that a normal blood donation could help save three lives, but now one at any Kentucky Blood Center could help save even more. “We’re antibody testing all the blood donations, platelet donation, and double red blood cell donations at our donor centers,” the center's Mandy Brajuha said. That could be a boost for critically ill covid-19 patients. “The hope is that we’re able to identify folks [who] have the antibodies for covid-19 so we can recruit them to donate plasma to help treat critically ill patients,” Brajuha said. 
• Minority children represent the majority of U.S. kids' deaths from coronavirus, according to The Washington Post.  The coronavirus is killing Hispanic, Black and American Indian children at much higher numbers than their white peers, according to federal statistics released Tuesday. William Wan writes that the numbers — the most comprehensive U.S. accounting to date of pediatric infections and fatalities — show there have been 391,814 confirmed cases and 121 deaths among people under the age of 21 from February to July. Of those killed by covid-19, more than 75% have been Hispanic, Black and American Indian children, even though they represent 41% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency collected data from health departments throughout the country.

Ky. records second highest number of cases and most patients in intensive care in one day; Beshear defends statewide approach

Kentucky Health News chart; daily numbers may have been slightly adjusted since initial report.

By Al Cross

Kentucky Health News

Gov. Andy Beshear reported Tuesday the second highest number of Kentucky coronavirus cases in day, 674, and a record higher number of covid-19 patients in Kentucky hospitals' intensive-care units, 132.

Beshear largely rebuffed Republican legislators' suggestions that his limits on activity be reduced in areas that have low infection rates, saying the virus can spread too quickly for that, and he urged Kentuckians to follow his advisory against traveling to states with high rates.

Slide displayed by Beshear details his travel advisory.

"I need you to cancel your plans if you’re going to a beach … in any of these states," he said, referring to those with a 15 percent or higher rate of tests for the virus.

The number of new cases drove Kentucky's seven-day rolling average to 559, a new high. "These numbers today are not a surprise," Health Commissioner Steven Stack said.

Only three more covid-19 deaths were reported Tuesday, but Beshear said the disease's mortality rate means that the 674 new cases could lead to 20 deaths, and he noted that deaths "lag by about 14 days or more from the announced cases."

Another "worrisome number," the governor said, is the 532 covid-19 patients in Kentucky hospitals, 10 fewer than reported the day before but still well above last week's average of 453.

"We've gotta be committed to doing better, and I see a lot of that out there," he said.

As cases surged in the first full week of July, Beshear ordered Kentuckians to wear masks in indoor public spaces and outdoors when they can't keep six feet apart. He said not enough time has passed to see the effect of the order, but “Our hope is that we will start seeing results from the mask requirement by early next week.” Earlier, he said he hoped to see case numbers level off by next Tuesday.

Asked about the fate of next month's state fair and the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, both of which he has allowed to continue with restrictions, Beshear said "We just need to get hold of this virus," and "That mask requirement’s gonna have to be really, really enforced; social distancing, really, really enforced."

Legislators weigh in: House Speaker David Osborne and Speaker Pro Tem David Meade said in a joint Facebook Live interview that Beshear should relax restrictions in areas with low infection rates. "We continue to need to be a little more surgical," Osborne told Richard Nelson of the Commonwealth Policy Center, which lobbies for conservative, faith-based policies.

Without referring directly to the legislators, Beshear rejected the idea in his opening remarks: "There is only one way to address this virus and that's with statewide policies. You can't pretend people don't drive between counties. I think every public-health expert here in Kentucky would agree that this is the time for statewide action."

He introduced Stack, who said, “We would like to be as precise as can in our interventions, but if we want to do things county by county, it just doesn’t work. . . . We will continue to look for ways to be as precise as we possibly can so we can limit the impact on our daily activities.”

During questioning, Beshear said more "surgical" action might be the best alternative to control outbreaks in specific areas or businesses.

Stack also tried to deliver the message that the virus, which was identified Dec, 31, is much more serious than many skeptics make it out to be.

"There’s a lot we don’t know about this disease," he said, noting that it can cause stroke, heart trouble, respiratory failure, blood clots in the lungs, and other issues. "We don’t really know the true extent of our vulnerability."

Beshear said, "The positive news is that we know how to beat it . . . but we are in such a critical period." He asked Kentuckians to remember the "hands, face and space" mantra for washing hands, wearing face coverings and keeping six feet apart, and said they should have masks around their necks outdoors in case they come into close contact.

Prison outbreak: A coronavirus outbreak "has ravaged the Kentucky State Reformatory, a state prison in Oldham County, killing three inmates and infecting at least 168 inmates and 14 employees" over the last two weeks, John Cheves reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "The prison, which is primarily meant to hold medically vulnerable inmates," is Kentucky's third to have a major outbreak.Six inmates have died; at least seven more have died at a federal prison in Lexington.

"The Department of Corrections website confirms a recent scattering of employee infections at prisons including Bell County Forestry Camp, Kentucky State Penitentiary, Lee Adjustment Center, Northpoint Training Center and Roederer Correctional Complex," Cheves reports. "With inmate visitation canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, prison staff are the primary people moving between the institutions and outside communities each day, potentially carrying the virus with them."

Inmates are suing the department in federal court "for what they describe as a slow, clumsy response," Cheves reports. Department spokeswoman Lisa Lamb "said Tuesday that prison officials are carefully screening anyone who enters the prisons for symptoms of covid-19; they have increased cleaning of the facilities using a germicide and bleach solution; and they have provided masks for all inmates and employees, for mandatory usage."

In other covid-19 news Tuesday:

• The three covid-19 fatalities were a 63-year-old man from Calloway County, a 91-year-old woman from Casey County and a 95-year-old man from Shelby County. "We continue to see a lot of people in their 60s passing away," Beshear said, "and I hope a lot of us don't believe that is old."
• Counties with new-case numbers in double figures Tuesday were Jefferson, 180; Fayette, 35; Warren, 24; Barren, 23; Harlan and Madison, 22 each; Hardin, 19; Kenton, 17; McCracken, 14; Bullitt, Campbell and Henderson, 13 each; Boone, Casey and Daviess, 12 each; Oldham, 11; and Laurel, 10.
• Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced that the state is allowing school districts to use online instruction for an unlimited number of days and is waiving the attendance-based funding formula, which will allows hybrid models, such as having some students in classrooms on some days and  others on other days.
• Coleman also announced a "virtual town hall" from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday on reopening schools, mainly for educators and staff.
• The University of Kentucky is requiring students who have at least one class on campus to get tested for the virus. It said students will be able to schedule free tests from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 3-22. They can also get tested off campus within a week of arriving on campus. Classes begin Aug. 17.
• Researchers reported that tests for antibodies to the virus indicate that millions of Americans have been spreading it without knowing that they have it.
• President Trump resumed briefings on the pandemic and said it will probably get worse before it gets better, reversing previous statements. He also advised Americans to wear masks.

7-day case average rises above 200 again, but hospitalizations are down; Beshear says it's manageable with masks, distancing

Kentucky Health News chart shows daily case numbers and seven-day rolling average for this month.

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Gov. Andy Beshear announced 229 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Kentucky Wednesday, raising the state's seven-day running average to 204, up from 196 yesterday and 176 on June 21, which was the lowest it had been since May 31.

Beshear again said Kentucky remains in a plateau, meaning that case numbers go up and down within a range. He said as long as the state can stay within that range and has enough hospital, intensive-care and ventilator capacity, its government will continue to manage the pandemic while reopening.

Beshear has said he will look more at hospital numbers, which went both ways Wednesday. He said there are 334 people are hospitalized with covid-19, the lowest number in some time, but the number in intensive care rose to 79 from 70 the day before.

Wednesday's cases raised the state's total to 14,363. Beshear announced one death Wednesday, an 89-year-old man from Laurel County, bringing the state's covid-19 death toll to 538.

"We are currently in a manageable phase with the plateau that we are in," Beshear said. "That doesn't mean there aren't some things we can do better -- we need a lot more people wearing masks."

As everything in Kentucky opens at some capacity on Monday, Beshear also urged Kentuckians to  keep six feet of social distance and decrease their daily activities by half -- things he said they will need to do until a vaccine is readily available.

"We don't get to live normal lives right now," he said. "We get to live in our new normal where we manage this virus."

Myrtle Beach a problem for several states

Dr. Steven Stack, the state's public-health commissioner, said two clusters have been identified in Kentucky of people who had vacationed in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He said Horry County, where the city is located, has since declared a state of emergency, just four weeks after its reopening.

“We have now identified both in West Virginia and here in Kentucky numerous people that have returned from Myrtle Beach with covid-19,” Dr. Stack said. “I have to continue to urge and beg folks to be careful. It is not the time to be cavalier because we have a scenario where a place that was just starting the reopening process went from being fine to a state of emergency in three weeks.”

Health officials in Roanoke said Tuesday that the Virginia city was also getting cases from Myrtle Beach. The CovidActNow website estimates that Horry County's virus transmission rate is 1.52, meaning that every 100 infected people infect 152 others. Generally, officials try to keep the rate below 1.10.

Stack said a group of 12 Kentuckians went to Myrtle Beach for three days on June 11 and at least nine of them tested positive after returning. He said the state now believes there is a second cluster tied to the city, as well as a third individual who went there and has since come home and tested positive.

Beshear said, "We're asking people, if you know that there is a place that we can tell you that there are a lot of outbreaks, don't go."

He and Stack are also looking north. The governor said the free, Kroger-sponsored drive-thru testing sites next week will return to Northern Kentucky next week -- as well as Louisville, Lexington and Pikeville -- because of the "disturbing increases" of cases in the Cincinnati area.

In long-term care facilities, Beshear said that since Monday, 31 more residents and 17 more employees have tested positive for the virus, bringing those respective totals to 1,698 and 812. He said six more deaths have been attributed to residents of the facilities.

In other covid-19 news Wednesday:

• The counties with the highest number of new cases Wednesday were Fayette, 40; Jefferson, 32; Warren, 23; and Christian, 20. 
• Beshear announced that in-person help for unemployment claims will be offered by appointment only in several locations. In Frankfort, the state will offer help every day next week between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; in Ashland and Owensboro, on Monday and Tuesday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.; and on July 7 in Somerset and Hopkinsville. He said details for exact locations and how to sign up online would be forthcoming. 
• In Franklin County, a little more than half the people who have been identified as infected with the virus have had no symptoms of covid-19, the county health department tells The State Journal. The county has has 122 cases, 51% of which are asymptomatic.
• A study in Singapore and China found that over half of those with the virus were infected by
  people who hadn’t developed symptoms yet. Another study, in a laboratory, found that the virus can remain infectious in aerosol droplets for up to 16 hours.
• "As contact tracing — an effort to identify anyone exposed to someone with covid-19 — gets underway, Metro Louisville officials are advertising for local hotels to provide rooms in case they are needed to isolate people," Deborah Yetter reports for the Louisville Courier Journal. The purpose is to provide quarantine sites for people unable to isolate at home.
• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said his state will delay expansion of re-openings for three weeks while making face coverings mandatory in public, McClatchy Co. newspapers report.
• Retail alcohol sales jumped 55 percent nationally during the third week of March, when many stay-at-home orders were put in place, according to Nielsen data, and online sales skyrocketed. Kaiser Health News reports on some signs of addiction to watch out for, including big increases in the amount of alcohol consumed; concern expressed by family or friends; changes in sleep patterns; and if drinking is interfering with your everyday life.
• A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows how contact tracing helped control an outbreak of covid-19 after a college spring break trip led to 64 cases, including 60 among 183 vacation travelers, one among 13 household contacts and three among 35 community contacts. "This covid-19 outbreak among a young, healthy population with no or mild symptoms was controlled with a coordinated public health response that included rapid contact tracing and testing of all exposed persons," says the report.
• The future of college athletics in the pandemic will be discussed at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 25 on Zoom. Panelists will be Joseph Fink, a University of Kentucky pharmacy professor who was longtime treasurer of the Southeastern Conference; UK higher-education historian John Thelin; UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart; former UK volleyball standout Leah Edmond; and UK alumnus and collegiate sports-marketing pioneer Jim Host. Register here.
• The Kentucky Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program has received a $4 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, according to a Cabinet for Health and Family Services news release. The four regional treatment programs serve 192 people with serious mental illness.

Beshear says Bowling Green hotspot may be a glimpse of the future; says crisis offers chance to overcome political divisions

Gov. Andy Beshear displayed this chart to show that younger people are susceptible to the virus.

As news develops about the coronavirus and its covid-19 disease, this item may be updated. Official state guidance is at kycovid19.ky.gov.

By Al Cross and Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

As 227 more coronavirus cases pushed the state's total above 7,000, Gov. Andy Beshear said the pandemic in Kentucky remains on a plateau, but pointed to the Bowling Green area as an example of hotspots that may occur as he reopens the state's economy.

He also responded to a question about a comment he made Monday, that some people "want us to fall apart . . . want us to suffer big losses," saying the crisis offers an opportunity to overcome political divides.

As he started listing all counties with new cases, Beshear said there were 72 new cases in Warren County and 14 were children, including a 1-year-old, a 2-year-old, two who are 3, two who are 5, three who are 7, two who are 9, and an 11-year-old and a 12-year-old.

Bowling Green on NYT chart of recent covid-19 cases in metro areas;
top line is Sioux City, Iowa, site of an outbreak at a meatpacking plant.

“What we’re seeing in Warren County is what many think is our future,” Beshear said. “Getting this in control, plateaued overall in the state and having to monitor the state as a whole, but then having hotspots that can start growing and then can grow very significantly.”

The day before, Beshear had identified the Bowling Green area as having "one of the fastest-growing outbreaks in the country," and that is confirmed by a New York Times chart of recent case growths in metropolitan areas.

Health Commissioner Steven Stack said Warren County has second highest number of cases in the state, and that he would be sending medical-student volunteers there to help. “We will continue our dialogue and discussions with them to try to help them,” he said. “I just want to emphasize: The disease is still out there. This is not the common cold; this is a bad actor. When it sets up in a community and starts to take hold, hospitals can get overrun.”

Stack announced that help is being made available to parents and health-care providers who may think a child has pediatric multi-symptom inflammatory syndrome, a rare condition that is being seen in some children who have had the virus and may not have had symptoms. He said a Kentucky Pediatric Covid-19 Hotline (800-722-5725) is now being staffed by Norton Children's Hospital to answer questions from both parents and clinicians about the syndrome.

Norton Healthcare said in a news release that nurses and other medical providers will take calls, offer advice and provide guidance on available resources. It said the children’s hospital is "launching a virtual hospital for covid-19 pediatric patients. Medical professionals will reach out proactively to families of patients who have been diagnosed or are under investigation for the illness after they’ve left the hospital."

Stack and Beshear said a 10-year-old boy with the syndrome is no longer on a ventilator at the hospital, and the governor's daily news release said the 16-year-old who was being monitored for the condition in the hospital has been sent home to recuperate.

Politics: Near the start of his briefing Monday, Beshear said, “The longer we’ve gone on this, the more intentional misinformation is put out there. It’s put out by some that don’t believe the virus is real, but let’s face it, a lot of what’s on social media right now is created by other countries in a way to try to destabilize us. That’s the last thing we want. There are a lot of people out there, internally and externally, that want us to fail, that want is to fall apart, that want us to suffer big losses.”

Asked Wednesday by Kentucky Health News who in this country wants such failures and losses, he said, "I think that there are folks that are out there that care as much about politics as they do to how well we respond to this virus. I think that there are those who want to turn anything and everything into a blue-versus-red, a Democrat-versus-Republican issue, and that's just not what we are facing. You know, we had significant divisions in this state and in this country before this, and we just shouldn't now. And that shouldn't be a frame of mind that we want to get back to. There shouldn't be winners and losers, depending on your party; it should be the job we are doing for the people of the commonwealth."

Beshear then said the crisis is an opportunity to bridge those divisions.

"This is our chance to move beyond all the pettiness, to move beyond what our politics and our government and so much has become, to move beyond the inability to talk to neighbors based on some of this stuff. This is our chance," he said. "And there are some that profit from those types of fights and those types of divisions; there are some that think that that gives them more control or more power, I guess, but it is just wrong. . . . This is our chance not to just come together and be unified, but to stay that way; to be a better people, to be one people again, that can have civil disagreements, but not like what we have seen in the past. Let's get back to encouraging each other about the ways that we are going about addressing this virus, let's talk about best practices, let's stop attacking each other in D.C. or elsewhere."

Tuesday, House Democrats introduced a $3 trillion relief package that includes aid for state and local governments. Beshear didn't mention that directly, but renewed his plea for Congress to print more money.

“We must, we must, have assistance from the federal government with our state and local budgets,” he said, adding that all other governors agree with him. “Our budget in the state, and every local budget, will be devastated without direct help from Congress,” he said. “Now is not the time to be timid; now is the time to make sure what it takes to get our country on the right track.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the proposal “a big laundry list of pet priorities” and said it was “exactly the wrong approach.” He has said there is no need to spend more money until Congress evaluates what it has already done, and has said that the national debt is already too large.

In other covid-19 news Wednesday:

• The 227 new coronavirus cases announced today brought the state's adjusted to 7,080. Beshear said 377 are in the hospital, 215 are in intensive care, and 2,649 had recovered. Click here for the daily summary. Along with Warren, counties with more than 10 new cases included Jefferson, 28; Fayette, 20; Kenton, 20; and Boone, 18. 
• Beshear reported five new deaths, raising the toll to 326. They were of an 88-year-old woman from Adair County; a 74-year-old woman from Marshall County; and three Boone County women aged 73, 89 and 97.
• In long-term-care facilities, 20 more residents and three more employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, in 89 facilities. There have been four new deaths, for a total of 187 resident deaths and two staff deaths.
• Hospitals and other health-care facilities were allowed to start functioning at half of their pre-covid-19 patient volumes Wednesday, and one visitor per patient will now be allowed, at the facilities' discretion.
• Beshear appointed as commissioner of the Department of Corrections Cookie Crews, who has been the agency's health-services director for the past eight years. She is a 36-year veteran of the agency, and has run four prisons. She said via video, “We are working hard every day to minimize the health risks, and I promise you those efforts will continue.”
• Beshear said one of Crews's most important roles will be to protect people at the Green River Correctional Complex in Central City, three inmates from which have died. He said that will include working with concerned families. “I get it,” he said. “It’s a scary time.”
• Sign-ups for Kroger-sponsored thru testing sites are now available for next week; the locations will be in Richmond, Mayfield, Louisville and Hartford. Louisville will be open Monday through Friday; the others will run from Tuesday through Thursday.
• Asked why bars and restaurants can't open at the same time, Beshear said that restaurants have much more control over social distancing because their clients sit at tables to dine. He said they were working on the guidance for bars. "There are a lot of things about this that don't seem fair, because this virus isn't fair," he said.
  
• A Florida-based network of addiction-treatment facilities called The Recovery Village conducted a survey of drug and alcohol use in the past month to see how the pandemic is affecting substance use. It found a 55 percent increase in alcohol consumption, with 18% of those surveyed reporting a significant increase, and rates were higher in states hardest hit by the coronavirus. It also found that 36% of respondents reported an increase in illicit drug use. When asked what prompted their substance use, 53% said stress, 39% said boredom, and 32% said they were trying to cope with mental-health symptoms, such as anxiety or depression. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports on the survey. 
• Another 29 inmates at the Federal Medical Center, a prison in Lexington, have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing its total to 166, and the prison says it will begin testing employees, the Herald-Leader reports.
• Morgan Watkins of the Louisville Courier Journal talked with Gov. Andy Beshear about unemployment claims in a video interview. Click here to watch.
• Kroger is ending its bonus pay for hourly workers, over the objection of their union, which says the hazards they face haven't faded, Alexander Coolidge reports for the Cincinnati Enquirer. The $2-an-hour bonus, which will end Saturday, is for frontline workers in stores, factories, pharmacies, call centers and warehouses. The move comes as Walmart just announced another round of bonus pay through late June, Coolidge notes.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a small number of cats and dogs have been found to have the coronavirus but the risk of pets spreading it to people is low. The CDC offers tips on what to do if you think your pet has the virus.
• The $7 million field hospital that the University of Kentucky set up in the Nutter Field House, where the football team practices, will be taken down by May 20, Alex Acquisto reports for the Herald-Leader. “Our decision was based on our continued evaluation of the trajectory of the virus,” UK spokesman Jay Blanton told Acquisto. “Initial modeling a few months ago projected a spike in the virus. Thanks to the social distancing and public-health efforts at the state level, we have not experienced that spike,” he said, adding that most models now “continue to show a flattening of the curve.” UK says it is seeking federal reimbursement for some of the nearly $6.8 million it paid Emergency Disaster Services of Lexington for the work.
• "Blanton said another factor in the university’s decision was the trajectory of the virus in Eastern Kentucky, where there is a shortage of critical care and intensive care unit beds," Acquisto reports. "Unlike Western Kentucky, which boasts most of the highest virus infection rates per capita, Eastern Kentucky has kept the virus relatively contained." Monday, Beshear said Eastern Kentucky has "perhaps the best compliance anywhere" in the state.
  
  Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/news/coronavirus/article242671631.html#storylink=cpy
• As the virus spreads, experts caution that the risk may be even greater because people tend to be older and sicker in rural areas, and have less access to health care services, Dennis Thompson reports for U.S. News & World Report. 
• "In a study in review for publication, researchers at New York University found that obesity is one of three of the most common risk factors for covid-19 hospitalizations," the Trust for America's Health reports. It says 42.4% of U.S. adults 20 and older are obese, and that this rate is even higher in black and Latino communities: 49.6% and 44.8%, respectively. The data is from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
• "Countries that eased lockdowns are reimposing them amid a resurgence of infections," The Washington Post reports.
• The Hill reports on four potential covid-19 vaccines.