Sunday marks six months since the coronavirus was discovered in Kentucky.
A news release from Governor Andy Beshear said a total of 52,774 cases have been confirmed throughout the state since then, and 996 Kentuckians have lost their lives. In the past week, state officials announced 4,742 new cases -- the highest weekly total since the pandemic reached the commonwealth (surpassing the previous week's record high of 4,503 cases).
Beshear announced 313 new cases on Sunday, and three additional deaths.
"We’re seeing a dip in the number of new reported cases today, as we often do on weekends," Beshear wrote. "Let’s remember that while we believe we’ve managed to hit a plateau in the growth of cases, what we really need is to have that number go down in a sustained way."
The release also included a warning from Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, not to let the weekend's nice weather encourage lax practices.
"Please don’t jam sidewalks, restaurants and bars with masks hanging below your chins. Don’t gather in groups larger than 10 and, if you see a larger crowd, stay away,” Stack said. “As the governor noted, cases are on the rise, and we have to do better."
Forty-three of Sunday's new cases were among children. The youngest is 27 days old.
