Beshear announces more than 3,000 new cases of COVID-19

Gov. Andy Beshear announced more than 3,000 new cases Tuesday in the Commonwealth making it the fourth-highest Tuesday on record.

Whitley County

The Whitley County Health Department announced 27 additional COVID–19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the county’s total to 2,634.

There are currently 284 active cases, of which 15 are hospitalized.

With the new cases, Whitley County’s COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 81.2.

Laurel County

The Laurel County Health Department announced 77 additional cases of COVID–19 on Tuesday, bringing the county’s total to 4,597.

There are currently 73 individuals hospitalized.

With the new cases, Laurel County COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 108.1.

Knox County

The Knox County Kentucky Health Department announced 44 additional cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the county’s total to 2,301.

Seven of the new cases involved children, officials stated.

There are currently 328 active cases in Knox County.

With the additional cases, Knox County’s COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 87.1.

Bell County

The Bell County Health Department announced 34 additional COVID–19 cases, bringing the county’s total to 2,136.

There are currently 175 active cases, of which 10 are hospitalized.

With the additional cases, Bell County’s COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 103.2.

Statewide

Gov. Andy Beshear announced 3,053 additional COVID–19 cases in Kentucky on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 308,729.

Beshear reported 22 additional deaths, bringing the death toll to 2,944.

Beshear said 1,733 Kentuckians are currently hospitalized, of which 397 are in intensive care.

As of Tuesday, 119 of Kentucky’s 120 counties have a COVID–19 incidence rate greater than 25, which places them in the red zone.

Hickman County has the lowest incidence rate at 22.8 which means that it is in the orange zone.

Morgan County has the highest incidence rate at 835.1.

“This is the fourth-highest Tuesday, it’s higher than the last couple weeks, so we’re trying to determine where these numbers are going,” said Beshear. “We are sure that this is a surge caused by gatherings through the holidays, but there is a chance from what we are seeing in the data that while people gathered during the holidays, maybe now they’ve changed their behavior back to be being very careful.”

Beshear signed an executive order creating the Unemployment One-Time Relief Payment Program to be administered by the Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI) and funded by Coronavirus Relief Fund money for up to $48 million, according to a press release from the Governor’s Communications Office. The program will provide one-time supplemental payments to claimants:

1. $400 to claimants under any OUI program who: (a) would otherwise have qualified for 2020 FEMA Lost Wages Assistance but their weekly benefit amount was below $100, and (b) who had an approved claim in November and December 2020 but a weekly benefit amount of less than $176. Approximately 25,000 Kentuckians are eligible for this payment; and

2. $1,000 to claimants under any OUI program between March 4 and Oct. 31, 2020, with verified identities and no indication of fraud, but whose claims were not yet adjudicated and paid. Approximately 16,500 Kentuckians are eligible for this payment.

“For those who were able to file a claim, we want to help these people until we can get to their claims,” said Beshear. “And we want to help the people who were working regular, full-time jobs before this crisis but still didn’t make enough to qualify for Lost Wages Assistance when they lost their jobs.”