Gov. Andy Beshear on Sunday announced the largest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky.
Beshear announced there were 979 new cases of coronavirus reported in the state, including 30 cases in children 5 years old or younger. That means Kentucky now has at least 23,161 total cases.
Three new deaths were also announced Sunday, raising the total to 670 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
“We typically have limited reporting on Sunday which makes today’s record-setting number of positives particularly alarming,” Steven Stack, commissioner of the Department for Public Health, said in a release. “In the interest of accuracy, we are going to reach out and confirm results with some of the major labs. Even so, this surge in positive cases is a shocking wake-up call. Kentucky has flattened the curve before and it must act immediately and decisively to flatten it again. Please, wear your mask and socially distance.”
On Saturday, Beshear announced 583 new COVID-19 cases in Kentucky, which was at the time the state’s second-highest single-day total.
The previous single-day high was on May 5, when 625 cases were announced — 309 of which came from a mass testing at the Green River Correctional Center in Muhlenberg County.
“This ought to be a wake-up call for everybody,” Beshear said Sunday during his announcement. “Whether it’s folks out at a baseball field that are all sitting on the bleachers together not wearing masks or whether it’s to those that don’t think that this thing is truly spreading and can harm people. This is a rough day for the Commonwealth.”
Beshear said he would hold a briefing every day this week at 3 p.m. CST, and that more action would have to be taken to defeat the virus.
