With holidays approaching, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked individuals to avoid leisure travel as he announced 2,946 new cases of COVID-19 . Beshear also met Tuesday with White House appointed Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, who asserted Kentucky's COVID-19 efforts have saved lives.
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner from the Department for Public Health, said Dr. Birx also discussed the seriousness of asymptomatic transmissions of the virus.
“Asymptomatic transmissions, meaning those who have no symptoms, while they're infected but are actively spreading infection is a major, major source of transmitting disease,” Stack said. “And therefore you cannot assume simply because you varieties say they think well that they are not infected or spreading disease.”
Kentucky received shipments from the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this week and people reached a lot of state's hospitals Tuesday. Hospital workers have received a few of the first doses.
Beshear announced 15 new deaths, including two more veterans from the Thomson Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore, bringing its final amount of deaths to 33. But Beshear also noted that position numbers in veterans facilities have declined.
“There aren't any active installments of COVID-19 in veterans in any four from the veterans centers now in Hazard, Wilmore, Radcliff or Hanson,” Beshear said. “There are zero new COVID positive cases in veterans in any of the centers, and Thomson Hood has now gone 30 days with no new COVID positive veteran.”
An Ohio Valley ReSource analysis of new data from the U.S. Department of Health insurance and Human Services offers the most detailed view yet of how the present surge in cases is stressing hospitals round the region. In West Virginia, for instance, hospitals in four counties reach ICU capacity, according to the data analysis. West Virginia hit a grim milestone Tuesday, topping a thousand total deaths from COVID-19.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice along with other state officials received the vaccine on Monday.
Ohio reported 103 new deaths and eight,755 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday. The ReSource data analysis shows several dozen Ohio ICU units have reached 80 percent capacity or greater – some are at 100% capacity.
