Candidates for governor fuss over credit for opioid settlements

Gov. Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron in
December 2019, after Beshear appointed Cameron to fill his
unexpired term as AG (Associated Press photo by Bruce Schreiner)

By Aneri Pattani
KFF Health News

Opioid settlement cash is not inherently political. It’s not the result of a law passed by Congress nor an edit to the state budget. It’s not taxpayer money. Rather, it’s coming from health-care companies that were sued for fueling the opioid crisis with prescription painkillers.

But like most dollars meant to address public health crises, settlement cash has nonetheless turned into a political issue.

Gubernatorial candidates in Kentucky and other states are clashing over bragging rights for the funds — which total more than $50 billion and are being distributed to state and local governments over nearly two decades. Kentucky's share of the pie is $842 million.

Among the candidates are curremt or former attorneys general who pursued the lawsuits that produced the payouts. And they’re eager to remind the public who brought home the bacon.

“Scoring money for your constituency almost always plays well,” said Stephen Voss, an associate professor of political science at the University of Kentucky. It “is a lot more compelling and unifying a political argument than taking a position on something like abortion,” for which you risk alienating someone no matter what you say.”

Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the Republican candidate for governor, wants sole credit for the hundreds of millions of dollars his state is receiving to fight the opioid epidemic. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote that his opponent, former attorney general and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, “filed a lot of lawsuits during his time [in] office, but in this race, there is only one person who has actually delivered dollars to fight the opioid epidemic, and it’s not him.”

Beshear filed nine opioid lawsuits during his tenure as attorney general, several of which led to the current payouts. At a January news conference, Beshear defended his role: “That’s where these dollars are coming from — cases that I filed, and I personally argued many of them in court.”

Christine Minhee, founder of OpioidSettlementTracker.com, who is closely following how attorneys general handle opioid-settlement money, said voters likely don’t know that the settlements are national deals crafted by a coalition of attorneys general and private lawyers. So when one candidate claims credit for the money, his constituents may believe “he’s the sole hero in all of this.”

Candidates in other states are touting their settlement credentials, too. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, lists securing opioid settlement funds at the top of the “accomplishments” section of his 2024 gubernatorial campaign website. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican gubernatorial candidate for 2024, has repeatedly boasted of securing the “highest per capita settlements in the nation” in news conferences and on social media and his campaign website.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican who was recently elected governor, ran on a tough-on-crime platform, with endorsements from sheriffs and prosecutors. As attorney general, he led negotiations on dividing opioid settlement funds within the state, resulting in an agreement to send 80% to parish governments and 20% to sheriffs’ departments — the largest direct allocation to law enforcement in the nation.

In Kentucky, half the settlement money is being distributed among cities and counties, and the other half is controlled by the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, staffed by Cameron's office.

It’s a common joke that AG stands for “aspiring governor,” and officials in that role often use big legal cases to advance their political careers. Research shows that attorneys general who participate in multistate litigation — like that which led to the opioid settlements and the tobacco settlement before it — are more likely to run for governor or senator.

But for some advocates and people personally affected by the opioid epidemic, this injection of politics raises concerns about how settlement dollars are being spent, who is making the decisions, and whether the money will truly address the public health crisis. Last year, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses.

Average people “don’t really care about the bragging rights as much as they care about the ability to use that funding to improve and save lives,” said Shameka Parrish-Wright, director of Vocies of Community Activists and Leaders (VOCAL-KY), a Louisville-based advocacy group that champions investments in housing and health care.

“What I see in my state is a lot of press conferences and news pieces,” said Parrish-Wright, a Democrat who is active in local politics. “But what plays out doesn’t get to the people” — especially those deeply affected by addiction.

For example, when Beshear celebrated a decrease in the state’s overdose deaths, his announcement overlooked the increasing deaths among Black Kentuckians, Parrish-Wright said.

And when the Cameron aide who chairs the opioid commission proposed that 5% of settlement funds be used to research ibogaine — an illegal psychedelic drug that has shown potential to treat addiction — to help get it approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Parrish-Wright said her first thought was “most poor people can’t afford that.” A recent witness before the commission said the FDA is unlikely to approve it, and even iof it did, treatment should occur only in hospitals because of the risk of heart damage.

The ibogaine announcement caused additional controversy. It’s an experimental drug, and, if approved, the $42 million allocation would be the single-largest investment from the commission. The Daily Beast reported that a billionaire Republican donor backing Cameron’s gubernatorial campaign stands to reap massive profits from the drug’s development.

Neither Cameron’s office nor his campaign responded to requests for comment for this story.

Beshear’s office declined an interview request but referred KFF Health News to his previous public statements, in which he criticized the potential investment in ibogaine. He has suggested that Cameron, whose campaign has emphasized support for police, is not putting his money where his mouth is.

“If you only provide $1 million to law enforcement and 42 [million] to pharma, it doesn’t seem like you’re backing the blue. It seems like you’re backing Big Pharma,” Beshear said at a May news conference.

Minhee, founder of OpioidSettlementTracker.com, said she’s concerned that mixing politics with settlement funds could result in ineffective investments nationwide.

“If some of this money is going to be politicized to advance careers of attorneys general who support the war on drugs, then that is literally using monies won by death to feed into more death,” she said.

Parrish-Wright said she worries that candidates — and some voters — will forget about the significance of the money once ballots are cast. “We cannot let it fade after the election cycle,” she said.

Her solution depends in part on politics. She’s on the ballot herself Nov. 7, for a seat on Louisville’s Metro Council. If she wins, she said, she intends to keep the settlement in the public conversation.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism.

Kentucky gets $2.25 million to expand, restructure reserve corps of medical and non-medical workers who help in times of need

Kentucky Health News map from iStock base map

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

With a $2.25 million grant, Kentucky will expand and restructure its Medical Reserve Corps to cover every county in the state.  

The corps comprises medical and non-medical personnel who volunteer their time and expertise to supplement public-health resources during emergencies and other times of community need.

Kentucky's corps supported emergency-shelter operations following storms in December 2021 in Western Kentucky; the flooding, mudslides and landslides in Eastern Kentucky last July; and during extreme weather events, such as the temperature plunge last December. Volunteers helped with testing and vaccine distribution during the pandemic, and typically provide medical support and first aid at large public gatherings such as the Kentucky Derby. 

“These volunteers have been crucial in aiding with disaster responses, and their invaluable impact has especially been felt during recent years,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. “We have faced unimaginable challenges such as natural disasters, a once-in-a-century global pandemic and so much more. With this funding, the administration will be able to provide direct financial support, technical assistance, resources and training to help our regional units and strengthen communities.”

The Medical Reserve Corps has 29 locally housed units with volunteers in 78 counties. The 42 counties not covered by the Medical Reserve Corps are Adair, Allen, Barren, Bath, Bracken, Breathitt, Butler, Calloway, Casey, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Estill, Green, Hardin, Hart, Jackson, LaRue, Laurel, Lewis, Logan, McCreary, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Morgan, Nelson, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Simpson, Taylor, Warren, Washington and Wayne. 

The state plans to use the grant money to restructure and consolidate the units into eight regionalized units that will cover all 120 counties. The corps will be housed under "Kentucky’s Healthcare Coalitions" in the preparedness branch of the state Department for Public Health.

“The regionalization of the Medical Reserve Corps program will provide a more robust and equitable coverage of volunteers across our commonwealth and will enhance the quantity and quality of partnerships with key stakeholders we already partner with, such as hospitals, universities and local health departments,” Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said in the release. 

Of the 33 states and jurisdictions recently granted awards through the American Rescue Plan Act to strengthen the Medical Reserve Corps network across the country, Kentucky received the fourth largest. 

Deputy Health Commissioner Connie White told the legislature's Interim Joint Health Services Committee June 21 that the money will provide the funding needed to strengthen the program. 

"We're really going to work hard with our local providers to be sure that they know in case of emergency, that's not when you have a training. In case of emergency, that's when you call and say, 'Remember those desktop trainings that we did? Well, it's time to kick that into gear, because we need you.'"

Invisible radon gas is the No. 2 cause of lung cancer in Kentucky but only 0.13% of houses in the state have been tested for it

Radon potential is measured in becquerels per cubic meter; a becquerel is one radioactive decay per second. Generally, the rate depends on the geology of a location and how much uranium and thorium are in the rocks, but levels in individual buildings vary depending on construction and exact location.

Three of every seven buildings in Kentucky have elevated levels of a colorless, odorless gas that is a significant cause of lung cancer, reports Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader. That rate of 42% is six times the national rate of 7%, according to the Kentucky Association of Radon Professionals.

But only 13 of every 10,000 houses in Kentucky have been tested for radon, says Ellen Hahn, a professor in the University of Kentucky nursing professor who runs BREATHE, which stands for Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthier Environments.

Kentucky has the nation's highest age-adjusted rate of lung cancer, mainly because it has the nation's second-highest smoking rate, but some people who have never smoked or have little exposure to indoor tobacco smoke get lung cancer. Radon is the No. 2 cause of lung cancer, and a combination of radon and smoking create an even higher risk of the disease, Estep reports.

Lindi Campbell (Breath of Hope KY photo)

"Lindi Campbell, 58, was fit, active and had never smoked, but had to have two lobes of her right lung removed in December 2017 as a result of developing lung cancer. Campbell said she grew up in Lexington in a house where she was exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke and radon," Estep reports. "After she was diagnosed with cancer, she had her childhood home tested. The results showed a radon level that was the equivalent of smoking 40 cigarettes a day, she said."

Campbell is president of Breath of Hope KY, which tries to raise awareness about lung cancer, reduce stigma surrounding it, and raise money for research.

Radon is a product of the natural decay of uranium and thorium, another radioactive element. "As it breaks down, it releases radioactive particles that can be inhaled and damage lung tissue over time," Estep notes. Newer homes are more likely to have a buildup because are more tightly sealed.

Estep offers ways to take action to protect yourself: "Radon information is available through several sources, including BREATHE; the Kentucky Geological Survey; the Kentucky Radon Program; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the American Lung Association. Health officials also recommend testing your home."

“Everyone needs to test,” Hahn said. “There’s no risk-free level of radon.”

"Free test kits are available at many county health departments, and people can also request a kit through the Kentucky Radon Program," Estep reports. "People in Pulaski, Rowan, Logan and Christian counties can check out test kits at public libraries, with a valid library card, as part of an on-going study by BREATHE. People can also buy test kits at home-improvement stores or online. Companies that install systems to pull radon out of homes can also test for the gas."

And how much do those systems cost? "Tracy Howard said it cost $1,300 to have Alpha Radon Remediation install an exhaust system in the basement of her house in Stanford on May 24," Estep writes. "Howard got a free test kit from the local health department and the results showed a radon level of 4.2, just over the limit at which the EPA recommends installing a system to reduce the radon level. Howard, a nurse who works from home to do remote patient monitoring, shares the house with her husband and their daughter and 4-year-old grandson. She wanted to reduce their risk of exposure to the cancer-causing substance. To her, it was worth $1,300 to accomplish that."

“I know how dangerous it is,” Howard told Estep. “Consider the cost of installing the system vs. the cost of getting lung cancer later in life.”

Study for hospital association says 38% of Ky. hospitals at risk of closure due to losses; bill would have Medicaid pay for outpatients

By Sarah Ladd
Kentucky Lantern

Citing “inflation, record-high operating costs, and lower volumes,” a new report prepared for the Kentucky Hospital Association says 38% of Kentucky’s hospitals are at risk of closure due to “the unsustainability of operations.”

The report from health-care consulting firm Kaufman Hall shows that the state’s hospitals spent much more on medical supplies since the start of the pandemic than before it, suffered from staffing shortages, saw fewer people in emergency departments, and more.

“Kentucky hospitals continue to face existential financial and operational threats,” Erik Swanson, the senior vice president of data and analytics at Kaufman Hall, said in a statement. “In 2022, Kentucky hospitals experienced their worst financial performance since the outset of the pandemic, and conditions in 2023 remain extremely challenging.”

Breckinridge Memorial Hospital in Hardinsburg is among
hospitals that have lost money in recent years. (KHN photo)

Kentucky hospital expenses in 2022, the report says, were $4.2 billion higher than before the pandemic — and they surpassed revenue.

“Hospitals are the heart of the communities they serve, providing high-quality, life-saving care to anyone who needs it regardless of their ability to pay,” KHA President and CEO Nancy Galvagni said in a statement. “They are also some of the largest employers in towns across the state, so the financial health of hospitals is critical to both the physical and economic health of Kentucky.”

Already, 42 of Kentucky’s 120 counties do not have a hospital, excluding those facilities inside correctional institutions, a KHA spokeswoman told the Lantern.

“Rising costs are making it difficult for our members to stay open,” Galvagni said. “Labor costs, in addition to the extreme growth in costs for supplies and drugs our patients need, which are struggles all Kentuckians understand, are outpacing growth in revenue.”

KHA said that without the federal Hospital Rate Improvement Program in place last year, “Losses would have exceeded $1.3 billion and operating margins would have fallen even more.”

Citing the situation, Galvagni spoke in support of House Bill 75, which would allow hospitals to be reimbursed by Medicaid for outpatient services, before it passed the Senate Standing Committee on Health Services March 8.

HB 75, Galvagni said, is especially critical for rural hospitals, as the majority of dollars coming in for the outpatient side will go to them and they “desperately need it.”

The bill's primary sponsor, Rep. Brandon Reed, R-Hodgenville, told his colleagues that the bill is “aimed at improving access to the quality (of) health care for each and every Kentucky as well as serving as a lifeline to rural hospitals serving communities throughout the commonwealth.”

“The timing is very critical for this and we really need it to sustain our hospitals,” Galvagni told the committee, adding that there is no “relief in sight for these high costs that are out there.”

Pandemic keeps accelerating in Kentucky, more so than in the rest of the nation; hospitalizations have risen 58% in last week

New York Times new-case map shows Kentucky's increase in the last 14 days is higher than most.

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

The pandemic continued to accelerate in Kentucky Tuesday, as the state reported 1,803 new cases of the coronavirus, the most in one day since Feb. 11. That raised the seven-day rolling average to 1,470 cases per day; six weeks ago it was only 175. The average is doubling every 11 days.

The surge driven by the more contagious Delta variant is stronger in Kentucky than in the nation as a whole. The average is 8.4 times what it was six weeks ago; the national average has increased by a factor of 6.8. The New York Times says Kentucky's increase in the last two weeks is 13th in the nation.

The statewide new-case rate for the last week is 31.2 per 100,000 residents, well into the red "critical" zone of the state Department for Public Health. The top three counties adjoin each other: Clay, with a rate of 108; Jackson, 81.5; and Laurel, 73.8.

Other counties with rates above 50 per 100,000 for the last seven days are Floyd, 70.6; Hart, 69; Carter, 59.7; Webster, 59.6; Muhlenberg, 59.2; Letcher, 59; Knox, 56.4; Metcalfe, 55.3; Whitley, 55.2; Knott, 54; Henderson, 53.1; Hopkins, 53.1; and Leslie, 52.1.

The percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the last seven days is 9.88%. The percentage has risen for 40 consecutive days from 1.79% on June 25, the low ebb of the pandemic in Kentucky.

The number of Covid-19 patients in Kentucky hospitals continued to rise, to 824, with 263 of them in intensive care and 96 of those on mechanical ventilation. Total Covid-19 hospitalizations in the state are the most since Feb. 24, and have increased 58% in the last week. The national increase was 42%.

Other pandemic news Tuesday: Gov. Andy Beshear reversed yesterday's announcement and said workers at state-run health facilities will not have to be vaccinated, but must be tested at least twice a week if they aren't; Kentucky health departments are again offering free testing and drive-thru clinics; Northern Kentucky University will require masks, and so will Fayette County schools.

Audit of death certificates ends, adds 260 Covid-19 fatalities; new virus cases and test rates are still declining; so are vaccinations

For the first time in many months, no counties are in red. (Ky. health dept. map, relabeled by Ky. Health News)

This story has been updated.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Gov. Andy Beshear announced 261 Covid-19 deaths in Kentucky on Tuesday, all but one from an audit of death certificates that he said has finally been completed. That took the state's Covid-19 death toll over 7,000, to 7,067. 

“Today, we’re going to add a number of deaths to make sure that we are fully accurate,”  Beshear said at what he said would be his next-to-last news briefing focused on the pandemic. 

“I believe after today we will have conducted the most comprehensive audit of deaths in the commonwealth during this pandemic, the most comprehensive audit of anywhere in the United States,” he said.

The audit began in March, after the big winter surge of deaths and cases that overwhelmed many of the state's health departments, which do the regular reporting of Covid-19 deaths. It initially went back to October, then to the beginning of the pandemic, almost 15 months ago.

On the list released Tuesday, the first and second deaths were March 20 and 31; the last was on Oct. 26. There were six last April, 24 last May, 31 in June, 29 in July, 50 in August, 64 in September and 52 in October.

Jefferson County, which has about 18 percent of Kentucky's population and Covid-19 deaths, had 37% of the audit deaths reported Tuesday: 96 (the two in March, three in April, 11 in May, 17 in June, 11 in July 17 in August, 21 in September, 14 in October). Kenton County had 20, and Boone County had 18.

Beshear said that while the additional deaths do not change the state's Covid-19 mortality rate of 1.5%, it is important to "make sure when someone has lost someone that we recognize that pain and that loss."

Audit deaths have been reported for months; at least one was as old as August. After the briefing, Kentucky Health News asked Beshear's office why so many were delayed and provided all at once. There has been no answer. The state Cabinet for Health and Family Services said Thursday that the expansion of the audit was "separately initiated" and "required significant data gathering to reconcile Covid-19 as the cause of death on a death certificate but absent of a Covid-19 test result or local health-department reporting."

Even some regularly reported deaths are months old, so Kentucky Health News uses a 14-day average of deaths. It was around 10 per day in early April, and after two months of fluctuations is down to 6.21 a day.

Vaccinations declining: Vaccinations in Kentucky continue to slow, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data reported and analyzed by The Washington Post. In the last seven days, doses administered averaged about 12,300 doses per day, a 28% decrease over the previous week.

The state reports 2,058,029 Kentuckians have received at least one dose of a vaccine, which amounts to about 46% of the total population or 57% of the state's adult population. 

Beshear continues to encourage younger Kentuckians to get vaccinated, noting that no age group under 50 has broken the 50% mark for vaccinations. He said he would announce incentives on Thursday to those who have not yet chosen to do so. 

Woodford, Franklin, Fayette, Boone and Scott counties have the highest percentage of residents who have received at at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Christian, Spencer, Ballard, McCreary and Lewis counties have the lowest percent of residents vaccinated.

 

Washington Post chart, based on data from federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Beshear announced that Kentucky's 195 senior centers can reopen at full capacity on June 11. The governor had already set June 11 as the date for most of the state's Covid-19 restrictions to be lifted, including the mask mandate.  

“The reason that we can do that are vaccines," he said. "These things are miracles, they have effectively ended death and hospitalization for the most vulnerable. They are saving lives every single day and we've got to make sure more people get them." 

Kentucky's guidelines line up with CDC guidelines that say any fully vaccinated person does not need to wear a mask. A person is fully vaccinated if they are two weeks beyond their last dose of vaccine.  

Beshear said since the senior centers were closed in March 2020, the state has seen a 200% increase in delivery of meals to homes, and has been able to provide meals to every senior 60 and older who has wanted one. Any senior who remains in need of a meal should call 877-925-0037, he said. 

Daily numbers: Beshear reported 137 new cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, with 34, or nearly a fourth, in people 18 and under. That brought the seven-day average to 299.57, the first time it's been under 300 since July 7. The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days is 2.5%. 

Beshear said both the weekly number of cases and weekly positive-test rates have declined for four weeks in a row. (The positive-test rate has actually declined five weeks in a row.) "We're now convinced that we are on a downward trend, even if it is a small downward trend," he said. 

The statewide rate of daily new cases has fallen to 4.88 cases per 100,000 residents. The New York Times ranks Kentucky 18th among states for this measure, with a 42% decline in the last 14 days. 

Counties with rates more than double the statewide rate were Webster, 24.3; Union, 17.9; Leslie, 15.9; Casey, 13.3; Owen, 13.1; Owsley, 12.9; Rowan, 12.8; Todd ,12.8; Whitley, 12.6; Bath, 11.4; Montgomery, 11.2; Harlan, 11; Graves, 10.7; Lincoln, 10.5; Rockcastle, 10.3; Muhlenberg, 10.3; Clark, 9.8; Henderson, 9.8; and Morgan, 9.7.

Not one Kentucky county is in the "critical" zone for cases, meaning they have more than 25 cases per 100,000 residents. So no counties on the state's new-case incidence map are in red, for the first time in months.

In other pandemic news Tuesday:

• Counties with five or more new cases were Jefferson, 32; Fayette, 12; and Lincoln, 5. 
• Kentucky hospitals reported 324 patients Covid-19 patients, 111 of them in intensive care and 56 of those on a ventilator. 
• The easternmost region of the state, from Pike to Lee counties, is the only hospital-readiness region using close to 80% of its intensive care unit beds, at 76.47%.
• The vaccine dashboard shows that 58,220 Kentucky children between ages 12 and 15 have received at least one dose of a vaccine. 
• Moderna has filed for full federal approval of its vaccine for Americans 18 and older, the company announced.

Most Ky. Covid-19 metrics remain stable, but deaths are up

Ky. Health News graph; does not include deaths found by death-certificate audit; click it to enlarge.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Most of the metrics used to measure the coronavirus remain on a plateau in Kentucky, but with 23 deaths reported on Tuesday, it is clear that the virus remains deadly for some.

Health Commissioner Steven Stack emphasized that point at Gov. Andy Beshear's news briefing Monday, saying several times that "Covid is a bad disease" and begging Kentuckians to get vaccinated.

So far, 1,882,396 people have gotten at least one shot of a vaccine in Kentucky, amounting to 53% of Kentuckians 18 and older and 42% of the state's population. 

“No matter where you are in the state, you can sign up for a Covid-19 vaccine near where you live or work,” Beshear said in a news release. “Now, when you get a shot of hope at many Kroger or Walmart locations, you can even earn a free shot at winning the lottery. It’s easier than ever.”

Soon, children between the ages of 12 and 15 can also get the vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this age group, and awaits final approval from a federal advisory committee Wednesday. Go to vaccines.gov/search/ to find a Covid-19 vaccination site. 

Cassie Prather, director of the Woodford County Health Department, told WKYT that adolescent cases are 20 percent of their total now, up from 3 percent, and she worries that youth are Petri dishes for more contagious variants. Statewide, nearly 18% of Tuesday's cases, 136, were in people 18 and younger.

Daily numbers: Beshear reported 758 new cases of the virus Tuesday, bringing the seven-day rolling average to 524, down two from Monday. 

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days is 3.15%. This average has been under 4% for two months.

The state's daily rate of new cases over the last seven days is 9.89 per 100,000 residents, falling below 10 for the first time since April 9. This rate has dropped 13.6% in the last week, from 11.47 on May 4. 

Counties with rates more than double the statewide rate are Powell, 50.9; Montgomery, 45.2; Rockcastle, 31.7; Webster, 27.6; Owen, 27.5; Lewis, 26.9; Bath, 26.3; Estill, 23.3; Mason, 22.6; Fleming, 20.6; Taylor, 20.5; Union, 19.9; and Menifee, 19.8.

The New York Times ranks Kentucky's rate 24th among the states, with a 1% increase in cases over the last 14 days. Only six other states, including Indiana at 3%, have seen increases over that period. Louisiana and Arkansas lead at 15% and 13%, respectively.

The state reported 23 more deaths from the virus, all of them from regularly reported health department reports. This is the most deaths reported in one day since March 28, when 27 were reported. These numbers vary widely because of how health departments report them. The 14-day death average is 9.29 deaths per day; on April 30, it hit a recent low of seven per day. Kentucky's death toll from the disease is now 6,620.

Kentucky hospitals reported 415 Covid-19 patients, 109 of them in intensive care and 51 of those on a ventilator. The latter numbers were the same as Monday; Covid-19 hospitalizations were up by 11.

Among the state's 10 hospital-readiness regions, the only one using at least 80% of its intensive-care-unit capacity is the easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties, at 81.6%. 

Starting Wednesday, May 12, the daily Covid-19 report will be posted daily on Beshear's social media channels around 5 p.m., instead of being posted in a news release. A full release will be sent on days that the governor holds a Covid-19 press conference. Recently he has done those two days a week. 

In other pandemic news Tuesday:

• Counties with 10 or more new cases were Jefferson, 93; Fayette, 51; Boone, 45; Campbell, 28; Taylor, 24; Pulaski, 23; Kenton, 21; Bullitt, 20; Warren, 19; Pike, 16; Shelby, 15; McCracken, Mercer and Oldham, 14; Christian and Madison, 13; Rockcastle and Webster, 12; Breathitt, Hopkins, Jessamine and Lewis, 11; and Hardin, 10.
• Tuesday's fatalities were an Anderson County man, 64; a Barren County woman, 42; a Bullitt County man, 68; a Carter County man, 101; a Daviess County man, 94; a Fayette County man, 59; a Grant County woman, 92; a Graves County woman, 84; a Henderson County woman, 90; two Jefferson County women, 95, 97; a Lawrence County woman, 87; a Letcher County man, 79; a McCracken County woman, 92; a McCracken County man, 55; a Menifee County woman, 90; a Monroe County woman, 70; a Muhlenberg County woman, 96; a Rockcastle County man, 62; a Simpson County woman, 59; a Taylor County woman, 74; a Wayne County woman, 71; and a Whitley County woman, 57.
• States will get no Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week because of production problems, federal officials told governors in a private call, Politico reports.
• Some people have found they prefer to wear masks, for a variety of reasons, Julia Carrie Wong writes for The Guardian. They include anonymity, hiding their ethnicity, avoiding unwelcome attention, simpler dealing with customers, and just feeling free to not smile. 
• Katie Camero of McClatchy News answers two questions about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and children, including: Is the shot for teens different than those given to adults?  And how well does the Pfizer vaccine protect children? The article also provides a video that walks through how the FDA and CDC authorize vaccines for children. 
• "In The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Tuesday, 64% of respondents said they have gotten a Covid-19 vaccine and 35% said they haven’t. Of the respondents who haven’t gotten a shot, 61% said they wouldn’t get a Covid vaccine, with 34% saying they would “definitely” not get a shot and 27% said they “probably” wouldn’t," Summer Lin reports for McClatchy. The poll also found fewer of the respondents in this poll were willing to get a vaccine than in the last one, taken in March, 61% and 43% respectively

Nearly all metrics of the pandemic in Ky. are going the right way, with new single-dose vaccine likely to be approved this weekend

A flag is placed behind the Capitol for each Kentucky Covid-19 victim. (Photo by Melissa Patrick)

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

The good news on a rainy Friday was that nearly all the metrics used to measure the pandemic in Kentucky are down, and the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine will likely be approved this weekend. 

“We’re still not out of the woods with this horrible virus, but every week, we’re taking another step forward in our fight against it," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. 

Beshear reported 1,180 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing the seven-day average to 1,182 – more precisely, 1,181.7, just 1.7 more than the daily number. That could be an indicator of stability. 

The percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days declined again, to 5.52% on Friday, down from 5.67% Thursday. The World Health Organization says the rate should be below 5% for two weeks before governments ease restrictions imposed to thwart spread of the virus.

The state reports a new-case rate in the last seven days of 23 per 100,000 people. Counties with double that rate are Laurel, 47 per 100,000; Owsley, 51.8; Taylor, 59.9; and Caldwell, 248.8. The New York Times ranks Kentucky eighth in new-case rate over the last seven days.

Beshear reported 30 new deaths of Kentuckians from Covid-19, all but one of them confirmed. The governor continues to add new flags in memoriam of each Kentuckian who has died from Covid-19. Friday's additions brought that number to 4,600. 

Hospital numbers remain steady, with 818 people hospitalized in Kentucky with Covid-19 (down 25 from yesterday); 218 of them in intensive care (down 2); and 105 of those on a ventilator (down 17). 

Two of the state's 10 hospital readiness regions are using at least 80% of their intensive care beds: the easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties, 81.6%; and Lake Cumberland, 93.3%. 

School openings: On Tuesday, Feb. 23, Beshear issued an executive order with recommendations for Kentucky school districts to offer or expand some in-person learning by March 1, or a week after school personnel have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. 

The Kentucky School Board Association tweeted that as of Feb. 23, 166 of the 171 districts have returned to in-person schooling, and that by March 15, at least 65 plan to have all students in person four or five days a week; another 16 districts plan that for elementary students, with middle and high school students in person two to four days per week. 

Valarie Honeycutt Spears reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader that at least three entire Fayette County school classes, as well as other students and staff, have been quarantined since students in kindergarten through second grade resumed in-person schooling Monday, Feb. 22.

Schools are asked to submit daily case and quarantine data to the state's K-12 dashboard, but 623 of the state's 1,477 public schools (42%, or three out of seven) did not report this week, and 181 (12%) have never reported. In the week ending Feb. 25, the dashboard shows 506 students and 86 staff have tested positive for the virus and 1,185 students and 129 staff were quarantined.  

Vaccines: The daily vaccination report shows 655,275 Kentuckians have received one dose of either the Pfize-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. 

And with only three more days in the state's vaccine cycle, which runs Monday to Sunday, the state has only administered 39%, or 60,276 doses, of the 152,710 doses it received for first-dose distribution this week.

Beshear has said several times that this week will be a test run to see if the state's vaccine system is up to the challenge of delivering more vaccines, since it ended up with more than double the amount it normally gets because of the severe weather. 

And it looks like the supply is getting ready to stay up with approval expected to come as early as this weekend for the Johnson & Johnson single-dose coronavirus vaccine. 

An independent Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has recommended that the single-dose Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Politico reports that FDA authorization could come as early as this weekend. 

"Johnson & Johnson has said that it will have 4 million doses available upon authorization, with 20 million doses delivered by the end of March. The company has promised the U.S. government a total of 100 million doses by late June," Politico reports.

As part of a campaign to increase coronavirus vaccination rates among Black communities,  Beshear joined Louisville NAACP leaders on Friday to address vaccine hesitancy in this population. So far, 4.6% of Black Kentuckians have received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, even though they make up 8.5% of the population. 

Raoul Cunningham, president of the NAACP Louisville chapter, who welcomed the governor, said in a news release: "African-Americans are infected with COVID-19 at nearly three times the rate of white Americans and are twice as likely to die from the virus. The Louisville Branch NAACP encourages the entire community, especially our constituents, to get the vaccine." 

In other pandemic news Friday: 

• Today's 30 fatalities were a Carlisle County man, 79; two Clark County women, 65 and 87;a Daviess County woman, 84; three Daviess County men, 53, 76 and 83; a Floyd County man, 75; a Garrard County man, 73; six Jefferson County women, 53, 55, 63, 66, 67 and 86; five Jefferson County men, 60, 66, 70, 72 and 83; a Lincoln County man, 70; a McCreary County man, 74; two Mercer County women, 63 and 77; a Mercer County man, 74; a Perry County man, 72; two Pulaski County men, 66,71; a Rockcastle County man, 70; and a Rowan County man, 78.
• Counties with 10 or more new cases were Jefferson, 216; Fayette, 80; Kenton, 74; Boone, 49; Warren, 36; Campbell, 29; Scott, 27; Pike and Taylor, 25; Carter, 22; Perry, 21; Adair, 20; Grant and Whitley, 20; Hardin and Madison, 19; Daviess, 17; McCracken and Oldham, 16; Knox, 15; Johnson, 14; Caldwell and Pulaski, 13; Bath, 12; Laurel and Shelby, 11; and Jessamine, Lawrence and Russell, 10.
• In long-term care facilities, 167 residents and 162 staff have an active case of the coronavirus, with nine residents and 11 staff added to that list today. 
•  As Kentucky moves to the 1C category for coronavirus vaccinations on Monday, March 1, which includes essential workers, people 60 and older and those 16 and older with certain health conditions, Deborah Yetter of the Louisville Courier Journal reports that many 70 and older are still trying to get a shot. She writes, "Of the about 100,000 people in the [Louisville] metro area 70 or older, 44,853, or fewer than half, have been vaccinated, according to the local health department. Kentucky has about 500,000 people over 70 statewide, with about 278,000 vaccinated." Yetter also expands on the many challenges people are finding to get vaccinated in a system that is not centralized. 
• Health departments in Eastern Kentucky provide Hazard's WYMT-TV with a report that includes new coronavirus cases and related deaths for each of the departments or districts. 
• Click here for this week's federal Coronavirus Task Force report. 
• The governor renewed his executive order requiring face coverings for another 30 days, says the release.  
• In September and November 2020, direct observation at six universities with mask mandates, including the University of Pikeville, found that 90% of those observed wore masks correctly, including covering the mouth, nose and chin, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. "Among 17,200 observed persons, 85.5% wore masks, with 89.7% of those persons wearing the mask correctly (overall correct mask use: 76.7%). Among persons observed indoors, 91.7% wore masks correctly. The proportion correctly wearing masks indoors varied by mask type, from 96.8% for N95-type masks and 92.2% for cloth masks to 78.9% for bandanas, scarves, and similar face coverings," says the report. 

Kentucky to get 6% more vaccine doses next week; meanwhile, case numbers and positive-test rate continue to trend down

Ky. Health News graph; new-case numbers are initial, unadjusted reports; click it to enlarge.

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Gov. Andy Beshear praised Kentuckians for their efforts in thwarting the spread of the novel coronavirus, announcing that case numbers and the positive-test rate keep trending down, and the federal government is sending more vaccine. 

"We are seeing really good compliance out there. Keep it up," Beshear said. "Right now you're showing that we can win. We can decrease cases just through our behavior, and this is at the same time that we're vaccinating, so all that's good."

Beshear announced 2,339 new cases of the virus, bringing the state's seven-day rolling average to 2,032, which is 15 less than Monday.

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days dropped again, to 7.66 percent. "This is a good thing," he said. 

Asked if the state's case numbers are lower because fewer people are getting tested, Beshear said testing numbers are in a "generally good place." In addition, he said the decline in the positivity rate supports the low case numbers. He said it's too early for vaccines to have had an impact on case numbers.

While Kentucky's case numbers have generally declined for a month, so have other states', so the state ranks seventh in new cases in the last seven days.   

Beshear said he had not heard of any more variants of the virus being reported, beyond the one today in Jefferson County. 

He cautioned that the existence of these highly contagious variants doesn't necessarily mean case numbers will go up because wearing a mask and social distancing and the other public health strategies are "still pretty effective." 

"The variants make everybody nervous," he said, "but they don't change the game plan and what it's going to take to protect ourselves until we're out of this and what we do to get out of it in terms of vaccinations."

Kentucky Health News graph; click on it to enlarge.
Daily listings of deaths are made after cases are reviewed.

Beshear said the number of Covid-19 deaths is still "stubbornly high" after he announced 35 more, 16 from Louisville. That took the state's death toll to 4,126. The 14-day death average is the same as yesterday, 45.1 per day. 

Also, all of the hospital numbers are up, with 1,204 Covid-19 patients in Kentucky hospitals (up 41 from yesterday); 282 in intensive care (up eight) and 148 of those on ventilators (up six). Beshear said these increases are within normal variations. 

For the first time since the state started reporting hospital capacity on a regular basis, none of the hospital readiness regions reported ventilator use, ICU use or overall patient numbers above 80% capacity.

Schools: The state's K-12 school dashboard shows that 182 schools have never reported their case or quarantine numbers, and last week 401 of them did not. Schools have been asked to self-report daily.

Asked about that, Beshear first commended schools that regularly report, saying they are "living their values of being transparent." He voiced disappointment in the rest, "because what they do is they remove the real information . . . that they need" in deciding whether to send a child to school or not, especially as the state works toward getting every school open to in-person learning in some capacity.

"It's highly disappointing that schools would not be reporting, and I would not feel safe with my children going to the ones that do not," he said. "That would not give me confidence that those schools are doing everything it takes to battle Covid because they're not doing everything it takes for public health and local health departments and others to know the situation in their schools."

Asked what he is doing about it, he said the state is encouraging them to participate, and "that's probably where it's going to be." He added, "I think we should all be disappointed that there are schools that claim they can keep our children safe, but won't show us the data that backs it up."

Last week, 1,295 students and 523 staff tested positive for the virus, resulting in 5,197 students and 738 staff being quarantined, according to the dashboard.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to issue guidance on school reopenings this week, CNN reports.

Click here for the Kentucky Department of Education's considerations for reopening Kentucky schools after vaccination. 

Vaccines: Beshear announced that the federal government is increasing Kentucky's vaccine supply for the third time in three weeks, this time by 6 percent. He said that means the state will get 71,675 doses next week, up 28% from the 56,175 three weeks ago. This week, the state received 68,475 doses. 

"It's not enough, but it's great," the governor said. 

At least 452,532 Kentuckians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the state's daily vaccination report.

Beshear said the state's larger vaccine sites will likely move to phase 1C, which includes people 60 and older, people with high-risk conditions and all essential workers, when they find that slots are not being filled up by those in the higher priority groups, which means that some of the regional centers may move to that phase earlier than others. 

In anticipation of severe winter weather expected through Thursday night, Beshear said the regional vaccination sites at the Kentucky Horse Park, Bowling Green and Covington will be closed Thursday to ensure the safety of all staff, volunteers and vaccine recipients.

“If you have waited a long time to get this appointment, I am really sorry,” Beshear said. “But I also don’t want to put you out on the roads with thick amounts of ice. . . . We will get you vaccinated.” He said the appointments will be automatically rescheduled no later than the following week. 

The University of Kentucky said it would keep close its vaccination site inside Kroger Field open, despite due to the weather, and encouraged people to keep their appointments if possible. UK also encouraged them to dress warmly since they may stand outside for a few minutes before checking in. (Updated 2/10)

Adam Mather, inspector general of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, gave an update on vaccinations in long-term-care facilities. Under a federal contract, CVS Health and Walgreens manage that for all states but West Virginia, and are scheduled to offer three vaccine clinics in each facility. 

Mather said CVS has completed its second clinics in 88% of long-term-care facilities and 79% of assisted-living facilities. He said Walgreens is 28% into its third clinics in long-term care and 90% through second clinics in assisted living. 

He added that the state is also vaccinating Supports for Community Living residents, a program that helps 3,524 people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. He said more than 1,110 have received a shot from Walgreens, local health departments or other providers. 

Mather said the state is working on a program for health departments to vaccine seniors who live in lower-income congregate housing.

On Feb. 5, the Lexington Herald Leader reported that an estimated 45% of long-term-care employees have received the vaccine, compared to an estimated 73% of residents.

Marianne Lee Snowden was 29.

Memorial: Beshear honored Marianne Lee Snowden of Walton who died at age 29 on Jan. 14 at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Florence from Covid-19 complications. Beshear said she was actively involved in NorthKey Community Care in Williamstown and also in the Special Olympics, where she loved cheerleading, running track, bowling and playing softball. 

“Marianne was sick for 11 days before she passed, begging to go home every day," Beshear said, quoting her mother: "If you don’t think Covid is bad, it’s worse than you think. My daughter passed away from it. Gone almost four weeks and I don’t know what to do with myself. Send prayers, wear your masks and keep your distance." Beshear said, "To the Snowdens, we are so sorry for your loss." 

In other coronavirus news Tuesday: 

• Today's fatalities were two men from Barren County, 89 and 91; two men from Boone County, 88 and 92; a Boyle County woman, 97; a Breckinridge County man, 84; a Fayette County man, 57; a Graves County man, 72; two Hardin County women, 75 and 89; two Hardin County men, 67 and 70; a Hopkins County woman, 68; a Hopkins County man, 75; 10 Jefferson County women, 58, 65, 70, 74, 75, 76, 77, 87, 92 and 94; six Jefferson County men, 74, 75, 76, 77, 86 and 93; a Kenton County woman, 95; a Larue County woman, 76; a Nelson County man, 68; a Washington County woman, 102; and a Washington County man, 61.
• Counties with 10 or more new cases were Jefferson, 396; Fayette, 116; Kenton, 115; Boone, 92; Madison, 82; Laurel and Warren, 66; Pulaski, 64; Hardin, 61; Daviess, 58; Campbell, 53; Nelson, 46; Pike, 45; Oldham, 42; Taylor, 38; McCreary, 33; Barren, 30; Bullitt, Russell and Scott, 28; Allen, 27; Grant and Knox, 25; Christian, 24; Henderson, 21; Caldwell, Hopkins, Jackson and Whitley, 20; Marshall and Shelby, 19; Clinton, Franklin and Marion, 18; Lawrence, 17; Mason, 16; Bell, 15; Boyd, Green and McCracken, 14; Clay and Grayson, 13; Jessamine, Livingston, Logan, Owen, Perry and Trigg, 12; Anderson, Graves and Wayne, 11; Floyd, Magoffin, Meade, Pendleton and Simpson, 10.
• In long-term care, there are 14 new cases among residents and 15 among staff; 303 active resident cases, and 204 active staff cases. The state attributed 12 more long-term-care residents' deaths to Covid-19, bringing that death toll to 2,205. 
• The British B117 variant of the virus has been identified in Jefferson County, WDRB reports. "Between that and Super Bowl and people tired of staying home, these numbers can change direction at any minute," Dr. Sarah Moyer, Louisville's chief health strategist, said at a news conference. She said the variant does not produce more severe outcomes, but is much more contagious, "so if before, if you would have infected one or two people if you had Covid, now it's a greater number, like four or six."
• Five weeks into the high-school basketball season and five to go before playoffs, WKYT reports that 16% of games were cancelled in the first week, increasing to 24%, 35% and 37% in subsequent weeks. In week 5, it was back down to 29%. KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett told WKYT  that "It's gone about as we expected" and that most cancellations were the result of quarantines following a positive test.
• As teachers' vaccinations begin to wrap up, new state guidance says Kentucky schools don't have to offer virtual work if teachers refuse a shot, Valarie Honeycutt Spears reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. The requirement to offer accommodations extends until the eligible employee is at least seven calendar days past getting their final vaccine dose, and will be offered to those who refuse the vaccine for medical reasons, Honeycutt reports. A spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education told her that some schools may decide to let staff without medical exemptions who don't get vaccinated continue to work remotely.  
• UK is looking for 200 adult volunteers for a trial to test the efficacy of getting two shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, instead of the currently recommended single dose.  Click here if you are interested in participating in the study. 
• Matt Mencarini reports for the Louisville Courier Journal on the challenges in Kentucky's prisons and jails that have been hit hard by the coronavirus. Medical experts told the paper that the best tools for them would be to provide vaccinations and to reduce their populations. Early in the pandemic, Kentucky reduced its inmate population, but at this time, inmates are not included in any priority list for vaccines. 
• Corinne Boyer of Ohio Valley ReSource reports on the challenges of staying in addiction treatment while staying safe from Covid-19.

State records 58 Covid-19 deaths today, a record, but Beshear cites state's low death rate, says more masking may be helping

Gov. Andy Beshear, at top near right, and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, at bottom near left, in a vaccination video with counterparts in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Gov. Andy Beshear announced another record day of Covid-19 deaths on Thursday, 58, and announced that an American flag will be placed on the state Capitol grounds tomorrow in honor of each of the 3,301 Kentuckians who have died with the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

“It is staggering,” Beshear said of the death toll, adding later, "These are all children of God, loved by their family, needed by their community; deeply, deeply missed."

Beshear attributed Thursday's high death count to the recent high number of cases brought on by holiday gatherings, noting that it's important to remember that deaths always follow cases. 

"Take 1 percent of however many cases that we have in a week, and we can expect to have that many deaths three to four weeks afterwards," he said. "It means what we don't do has real consequences. And thus far, it's had at least 3,301 consequences, and that's not even taking into account long-term health effects that we may not see." 

The 58 deaths recorded Thursday, of which 51 were confirmed and seven were probable, pushed the state's seven-day average to 37 and the 14-day average to 32.7, both new highs. Deaths are not recorded until the cases are reviewed by a committee of experts, so death counts reported by local or district health departments run many days ahead of the state count.

Though Kentucky deaths from Covid-19 are likely to set a record this month, Beshear said the state's 1% death rate from the virus is much lower than the rates of the nation and the world.  He said the U.S. death rate is 1.7% and the world's is 2.2%.

“This, I think, is a testament to providing education to Kentuckians about this virus and about what to do if you contract it,” Beshear said. “It’s a testament to our testing program . . . and it is a testament to our health-care workers who have done a better job than the country and the world at keeping our people alive.”

Vaccines: Beshear spent a good bit of the week's last news conference calling on Kentuckians and health-care providers to be patient during the vaccine rollout, saying over and over that demand remains far greater than supply and that there is no way the state can get doses to the 1,500 providers who have registered to administer vaccines. 

"We can't give vaccines we don't have," he said. 

Beshear asked the federal government to double Kentucky's allocation of vaccine on Jan. 19, the last full day of the Trump administration. He said he had not received a response.  

Kentucky is seeing "mass outbreaks" in state prisons in Oldham and Morgan counties, actively infecting most of the inmates in those institutions, John Cheves reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Further, Kentucky ranks fourth among the states for inmate mortality, trailing only New Mexico, Nevada and Michigan, according to The Marshall Project, which researches criminal justice.

  

The state Department of Corrections told Cheves it is monitoring the outbreaks "very closely." Advocates for inmates are calling for vaccines, noting their confinement makes them especially vulnerable.

Asked more than once about the state's plans to vaccinate inmates, Beshear said he is "evaluating" the question but "haven't made a decision there yet." Certainly, he said, prisoners would not go before individuals over 70, K-12 personnel, individuals over 65 and some essential workers in key areas.  

Those groups make up Phase 1B of the rollout. "Right now, we haven't made a decision about prisoners in terms of whether they will or will not be in group 1C," Beshear said. 

The daily vaccine report shows that 250,867 of the 450,175 doses received in Kentucky have been administered, with only 41,788 of them given in long-term care facilities by CVS Health and Walgreens, as part of a vaccination program overseen by the federal government.

The only counties with incidence rates over 100 daily new cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days are in the counties that have prison outbreaks, Oldham and Morgan: 175.8 per 100,000 and 143.8 per 100,000 respectively. 

Daily numbers: The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the past seven days is 11.05%. This rate has declined nine of the last 11 days since setting the record of 12.45% on Jan. 10.  

Beshear announced 3,728 new cases of the virus, the lowest Thursday in over four weeks. This brought the seven-day average of new cases to 2,975, the first time it's been below 3,000 since Jan. 5, the day before the single-day case record of 5,742.

Beshear said he was pleased with the decline in cases and praised Kentuckians for what he said seemed to be an uptick in the number of people wearing masks.

"So please everybody, keep doing a good job, keep wearing your mask," he said. "I do think we have seen a real uptick in people wearing masks, and that's a really good thing that may well explain what we're seeing in the numbers right now. So please, everybody keep that up. I'm very proud of what we're seeing on mask wearing right now." 

The Lake Cumberland hospital region continues to report that its intensive care units are is nearly full, at 97.8%. The easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties,  also reports its ICU beds are 89.71% full. The Northern Kentucky region is reporting high numbers of patients overall, 81.14% of bed capacity. 

Peggy Lynn Davis

Beshear honored the life of Peggy Lynn Davis of Ashland, a 67-year-old health-care worker who died Friday of Covid-19. She is survived by her husband, Robert, her three sons, Bobby, JP and Wesley, and her three grandchildren. 

"Her family said Peggy will be remembered as a selfless mother, not just to her family, but to everyone she cared for throughout her life," Beshear said. "Today our thoughts and prayers are with Robert ,Bobby, JP and Wesley, and to them to her entire family, all those grandkids, we are so sorry. It shouldn't have happened. We will all work harder."

In other coronavirus news Thursday:

• The 58 fatalities were an Adair County woman, 99; an Allen County woman, 78; an Allen County man, 64; a Boone County woman, 68; a Caldwell County man, 84; a Campbell County woman, 83; a Carroll County woman, 82; a Carter County man, 72; two Daviess County women, 45 and 82; four Daviess County men, 76, 84, 89 and 92; two Fleming County men, 76 and 81; two Floyd County women, 77 and 91; a Franklin County woman, 89; a Gallatin County woman, 82; a Gallatin County man, 69; a Grayson County man, 71; a Hancock County man, 66; a Hardin County man, 77; a Harlan County woman, 67; a Harlan County man, 64; a Hart County woman, 94; a Henderson County man, 61; a Hopkins County man, 84; seven Jefferson County women, 73, 78, 78, 79, 81, 84 and 91; four Jefferson County men, 31, 64, 88 and 92; three Kenton County women, 75, 77 and 78; a Kenton County man, 85; a Lewis County woman, 89; a Logan County man, 79; a McCracken County man, 93; a McCreary County man, 72; a McLean County man, 88; two Marshall County women, 60 and 91; a Martin County man,73; a Monroe County man, 73; an Ohio County woman, 80; an Oldham County man, 73; a Trigg County woman, 46; a Trigg County man, 86; and a Wayne County woman, 73.
• Counties with more than 10 new cases were Jefferson, 604; Fayette, 230; Kenton, 162; Boone, 143; Hardin, 129; Warren, 126; Daviess, 125; Madison, 112; Campbell and Nelson, 79; Christian, 78; Laurel, 77; Pulaski, 74; Bullitt, 64; Franklin, 58; Oldham, 57; Barren, 52; Scott, 49; Henderson, 48; Jessamine and Knox, 46; McCracken, 44; Boyd, 42; Pike, 40; Shelby, 39; Meade and Whitley, 37; Calloway, 35; Grayson and Montgomery, 34; Marshall, 33; Harlan and Washington, 26; Rowan, 25; Logan, 24; Breckinridge and Graves, 23; Hopkins and Wayne, 22; Clay and Russell, 21; Hart and Ohio, 20; Bell, Boyle, Clark, Larue and Woodford, 19; Taylor, 18; Floyd, Letcher, Marion and Union, 16; Anderson, Carter and Green, 15; Bourbon, McCreary and Todd, 14; Adair and Casey, 13; Carroll, Garrard and Perry, 12; and Bath, Bracken, Estill, Johnson, Morgan and Trigg, 11.
• Kentucky hospitals reported 1,604 patients with Covid-19 Thursday, 395 of them in intensive care and 209 of those on ventilators. 
• In long-term-care facilities, there were 76  new cases among residents and 55 in staff, for a total of 1,009 active resident and 521 active staff cases. Beshear said the state does not have data on the percentage of long-term-care staff who have agreed or declined to be immunized, but would check with Walgreens and CVS for that data.
• Chris Larson of Louisville Business First explores the challenge of getting staff in long-term home facilities vaccinated for the coronavirus, noting that some facilities are requiring staff to get vaccinated and others are offering incentives. Betsy Johnson, the president of Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities, told Larson that she hears that most facilities are offering incentives for their employees to get vaccinated, and that there is a real concern about those who are requiring it. “Workforce has always been a concern of ours,” Johnson said. “We've been very vocal about that. … This workforce issue is at a crisis point. So, if you start dealing with the issues with sticks and that means you’re going to punish people through termination… there’s a concern they would just quit.”
• As part of a state broadband initiative, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman is asking every Kentuckian to take a free, anonymous internet speed test at ewdc.ky.gov/Initiatives/Pages/KBI.aspx before Feb. 18. The test will help the state see which areas don't have access to the internet and which don't have adequate internet speed, information needed as the state moves forward with its next phase in the initiative. People without home wi-fi access are asked to visit a location that offers free internet, to submit notice that their home address has no available service.
• President Joe Biden signed several executive orders dealing with many aspects of the pandemic, The Washington Post reports. "They include the creation of a Pandemic Testing Board that can spur a surge in the capacity for producing coronavirus tests." Other orders will spur research of treatments for covid-19; strengthen collection and analysis of data to inform the government’s response to the crisis; "and direct the federal occupational safety agency to release and enforce guidelines to protect workers from getting infected. Other aspects of the plan are intended to steer more money to states, which have complained they need more funding to carry out the work placed on them for testing, vaccinating residents and other functions," the Post reports. 
• Unauthorized sharing of the University of Kentucky's vaccine invitations leads to a "few hundred" people signing up improperly, Rick Childress reports for the Herald-Leader. UK officials told Childress that those who sign in without an invitation will be removed from the system. 
• Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tackett said that nearly one in four high school basketball games in Kentucky being canceled so far this season because of the virus is good news, because that means schools are following the guidance, Jason Frakes reports for the Louisville Courier Journal. 
• Beshear and Coleman joined governors and lieutenant governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin to encourage people to make a plan for how they can get the coronavirus vaccine once they are eligible. Watch the 2 minute 14 second video message from the governors here: https://youtu.be/Ub35zJ2NEFw.

State has highest single day for coronavirus cases, by far: 5,742; legislature starts moving bills to limit Beshear's powers

Kentucky Health News graph, with daily case data from unadjusted reports; click it to enlarge.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

As high-priority bills to limit his emergency powers flew out of Republican-controlled legislative committees, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear announced the state's highest number of new coronavirus cases in a single day and the highest rate since May 5 of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus. 

“Today’s numbers show how critically important a centralized effort and response is to defeating this virus,” Beshear said in a news release.

He announced 5,742 new cases of the virus, far above the state's prior single-day record of 4,325 on Dec. 10. 

That brought the state's seven-day average to 3,063, higher than any since Dec. 16, which ended a 13-day run of days over 3,000. The record for this metric, 3,440, was set on Dec. 5.

The record day followed a day with an unusually low number of new cases. The two-day total made an average of 3,762, more than 300 higher than any 7-day average.

 

Beshear has called "wonky" the fluctuating case numbers since the Christmas holidays and said it will take several weeks to know what is causing them: increased social gatherings, testing sites being closed during the holidays, some of both or other factors.

What hasn't fluctuated is the seven-day average of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus, which has risen markedly for nine consecutive days. It is now at 11.7%, the highest since the state started regularly testing for the virus in May. 

Kentucky hospitals reported 1,778 Covid-19 patients, 428 of them in intensive care and 244 of those on ventilators. The latter number is just 10 below the record set Dec. 17, and 29 more than Tuesday. 

Beshear reported 34 more Covid-19 deaths, making Wednesday one of only a few days that the state has seen more than 30 deaths from the disease.

The fatalities, which made the state's death toll 2,806, were a Bell County woman, 79; two Calloway County women, 89 and 96; a Carter County woman, 53; three Carter County men, 80, 85 and 97; a ey County woman, 76; a Clay County woman, 96; a Grayson County woman, 69; a Hardin County woman, 69; a Hickman County man, 80; two Hopkins County men, 45 and 92; three Jefferson County women, 74, 77 and 88; two Jefferson County men, 61 and 72; a Kenton County woman, 89; a Monroe County man and woman, 70 and 79; a Nelson County woman, 88; an Ohio County man, 69; two Pike County women, 71 and 72; three Pike County men, 40, 65 and 70; two Pulaski County women, 82 and 98; a Russell County woman, 92; a Washington County woman, 93; and a Wayne County woman, 53.

On the second day of the 30-day legislative session, five of the eight bills that got out of committees were either directly or indirectly related to the governor's pandemic response. Each could pass within the week. They are: 

• House Bill 1, which would allows businesses and schools to stay open during the pandemic if they follow guidelines, and provide guidelines for visitation at long-term care facilities.
• HB 4, to remove required ending dates of legislative sessions from the state Constitution if voters in November 2022 approve; and allow the legislature to extend sessions by 10 days repeatedly, but not past Dec. 31.
• Senate Bill 1, which would limit governors’ executive orders and administrative regulations to 30 days unless approved by the legislature.
• SB 2, to require contagious-disease rules issued by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to be in the form of administrative regulations, which must be reviewed by legislators before taking effect.
• SB 5, to provide liability protection for owners of premises during an emergency, retroactive to March 6.

In other coronavirus news Wednesday:

• Counties with 10 or more new cases were: Jefferson, 828; Fayette, 374; Warren, 238; Kenton, 216; Daviess, 215; Boone, 199; Hardin, 179; Christian, 173; Laurel, 133; Madison, 115; Oldham, 102; Campbell, 101; Hopkins, 98; Bullitt, 96; Boyd, 88; Nelson, 80; Pike, 75; Boyle, 74; Whitley, 72; Ohio, 67; Henderson, 58; Floyd, 57; Clark and Greenup, 55; Marshall, 51; Anderson, Bourbon and Shelby, 49; Knox, 48; McCracken, 45; Marion, 44; Harlan and Muhlenberg, 42; Graves and McCreary, 41; Mercer and Woodford, 38; Barren, Pulaski and Taylor, 37; Jessamine and Scott, 36; Bell, Harrison and Meade, 35; Lincoln, 34; Clay, Grayson, Johnson and Todd, 31; Rockcastle, 30; Hancock, 29; Jackson, Perry and Rowan, 28; Breckinridge and Lewis, 27; Allen and Garrard, 26; Breathitt and Grant, 25; Carter, 24; Lawrence, 23; Henry, Simpson and Webster, 22; Martin and Monroe, 21; Washington, 20; Fleming, 19; Franklin, Montgomery and Spencer, 18; LaRue and Logan, 17; Edmonson, McLean, Trimble and Wayne, 16; Calloway, Carroll, Green and Lee, 14; Nicholas and Russell, 13; Crittenden, Leslie and Pendleton, 12; Adair, Bath, Elliott and Owsley, 11; and Butler, Magoffin and Morgan, 10.
• The Robley Rex Medical Center has vaccinated its first veterans against Covid-19 at a new drive-thru site, Sarah Ladd reports for the Courier Journal. "The Louisville VA center kicked off its drive-thru for high-risk veterans, those 75 and older and those living in congregate settings, with 30 scheduled appointments," she reports.
• Norton Children's Hospital has opened a follow-up clinic to check on children who have contracted Covid-19, WDRB reports. The clinic "is designed to help kids and teens manage any long-term symptoms from the virus," says the hospital in a news release. To be referred to the clinic, hospital officials say children have to have had a proven or "strongly suspected" diagnoses of the virus, be fever-free without using medications, be 10 days past the first time they experienced symptoms or received a positive test result, and still feel unwell and symptomatic. Referrals have to come from a physician.
• Hazard's WYMT-TV reports on deaths and case numbers from health departments in Eastern Kentucky, which reported 12 deaths Wednesday.