Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are on the rise in Kentucky as the state faces the prospect of another record week of infections.
Kentucky reported nearly 2,400 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, but only about 926 represent new cases. The rest are from a backlog reported in Fayette County over the last month and a half.
In the last three days, 72 people additional people have been hospitalized for COVID reaching a total of 541 cases on Wednesday.
Currently about 7.7% of all those who contract COVID-19 end up in the hospital, 2.1% end up in an Intensive Care Unit and 1.6% of Kentuckians who've contracted the virus have died, said Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack.
Stack said the more people that are infected the more people will end up in the hospital, the ICU and ultimately the morgue, even as treatments and overall mortality rates decline.
Still, Stack does not think additional closures or guidance is necessary to prevent further infection, he said.
“We can always go back to more aggressive things in the spring, but society has moved onto the place and ultimately it’s going to require all of us to realize just how serious this situation is,” Stack said.
Gov. Andy Beshear said that even without the backlog of cases, the state is still on track to have another record week of new infections. The rate of new cases has steadily has steadily crept upwards since late September.
“Sadly, today we’ve lost five additional Kentuckians and we expect in the next several weeks these daily cases will go up as the number of cases have gone up,” Beshear said.
One of those who died was Michael Reynolds, a 58-year-old man from Louisville whose family says he will be remembered in part for his sense of style and large wardrobe.
