ACCV Editor

Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021
From Lake Cumberland District Health Department:

Statewide Testing Positivity Rate: 12.45%.

Deaths: We are happy to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 280 deaths resulting in a 1.81% mortality rate (about 1 in 55) among known cases. This compares with a 0.96% mortality rate at the state level, and a 1.68% mortality rate at the national level.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 67 cases* in the hospital. This is 2 more than what we reported yesterday. We have had a total of 871 hospitalizations resulting in a 5.64% hospitalization rate (about 1 in 18) among known cases. The state hospitalization rate is 4.8%. The latest data shows that 95.56% of Lake Cumberland’s ICU beds are filled, and 32.76% of ventilator capacity is being utilized. (*This number is an estimation. Due to the high numbers, we only check with the hospitals on Fridays now. Therefore, the best time to see the most accurate hospital data will be in the Saturday News Brief.)

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 15,456 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This means that 7.4% of our total population have been a confirmed case. However, we do not know how many additional people may have had COVID-19 and were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and never tested.

Released (Not contagious) Cases: We released 144 cases today from isolation. Released cases include: Adair: 9; Casey: 6; Clinton: 12; Cumberland: 7; Green: 4; McCreary: 7; Pulaski: 55; Russell: 8; Taylor: 13; and, Wayne: 23. In all, we have released 91.4% of our total cases.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking into account deaths and releases, our active cases decreased by 60 more than the new cases we added today. This leaves us with 1,043 active cases in our district across all 10 of our district’s 10 counties. On 12/10/2020 we were at our peak number of active cases, 1,340.

Where Did Cases Visit Prior to Isolation: The most common places cases visited prior to isolation are (in descending order): Businesses, Schools, Family, and Long-term Care/Residential Facilities. We have had 60 cases tied to Christmas gaterings, 43 tied to Thanksgiving gatherings, and 7 tied to New Year’s events. Of our active cases, 9% can not be tied back to another known case (community-spread cases).

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 84 today: Casey: 12; Clinton: 3; Cumberland: 2; Green: 1; McCreary: 3; Pulaski: 46; Russell: 1; Taylor: 11; and, Wayne: 5. Our current new case growth rate is: 1.014. This means our total case count is projected to double every 48.78 days. The most new cases we ever added in a single day was on 12/30/2020 when we added 301 cases. Today’s new cases include:

Casey: A 49-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 41-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 16-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 57-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 8-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 73-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 19-year-old female who is released, Resolved;
Casey: A 12-year-old female who is released, Resolved;
Casey: A 48-year-old female who is released, Resolved;
Casey: A 21-year-old female who is released, Resolved;
Casey: A 18-year-old female who is released, Resolved;
Casey: A 26-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Clinton: A 31-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Clinton: A 42-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Clinton: A 29-year-old male who is released, Resolved;
Cumberland: A 7-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Cumberland: A 42-year-old female who is released, Resolved;
Green: A 54-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 84-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 53-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 56-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 38-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 59-year-old female who is released, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 17-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 70-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 31-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 17-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 42-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 30-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 67-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 27-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 71-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 68-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 22-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 25-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 23-year-old female who is released, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 63-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 18-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 80-year-old female who is hospitalized, Asymptomatic;
Pulaski: A 20-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 70-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 61-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 37-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Pulaski: A 29-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 77-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Pulaski: A 76-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 24-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 15-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 29-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 85-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 85-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 17-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 26-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 28-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 48-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Pulaski: A 38-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 23-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 5-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 37-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 65-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 39-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 22-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 14-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 3-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 49-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 25-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 38-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 25-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 20-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Taylor: A 66-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 8-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 56-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 72-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 64-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 59-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 16-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Taylor: A 38-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 73-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 42-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 20-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 28-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 4-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 71-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 21-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;

We are getting numerous questions about why different counties in the state are at different places with their COVID-19 vaccine administration response. For the moment, all counties are supposed to still be primarily focused on Phase 1a (medical staff, and nursing homes). However, since the Moderna vaccines come in shipments of 100 doses, in some occasions there may be some left-over vaccine from week to week where Phase 1a recipients can not be found. Every provider in every county is encouraged to use this surplus vaccine. So, in some instances, some counties will vaccinate a few folks in Phase 1b (first responders, school staff, or those ages 70 and over) with this surplus Phase 1a vaccine. Also, since 100 doses goes much farther in a small county with a population of, say, 6,000, than it would in a county with a population of 70,000, everyone is going to have to become comfortable with the fact that some counties are going to get ahead of other counties when progressing through the COVID-19 vaccination phases.

Also, as far as the local health departments go, the State Department for Public Health arranges for our vaccines to be shipped to us from the drug companies. Likewise, any other are providers who are receiving vaccines (hospitals and maybe a few others), are having their orders also arranged directly by the State Department for Public Health. The local health departments have no input over which local providers receive the vaccine or how the distribute it. They are all supposed to be following the COVID-19 Vaccination Phase Guidance, but if they don’t, it is outside of our influence. We do plan on reaching out to our community health care partners soon and beginning to have online meetings with them to better coordinate our overall response. Again, though, how they ultimately chose to utilize their vaccine will be up to them.

On a very positive note, we ended last week with no deaths the last couple of days. We start this week with no known COVID-19 deaths in our district. Also, we began last week with 115 new cases, today, 84. However, we have 1,043 active cases today compared with 795 last Sunday; and, we have 67 hospitalized cases today compared to 63 last Sunday. For our district, we had our largest 7-day incidence rate per 100,000 last week on Friday, a little over 103 new cases per day (a little more than 1 per 1,000 per day). Finally, our district’s ICU capacity is stretched very thin. So, let’s all do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19 by wearing our face coverings, avoiding crowds (especially in confined spaces), social distancing when around others, increasing our hand hygiene, increasing our general sanitation, and by avoiding the touching of our faces.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 15,456 cumulative confirmed cases and there have been 304,712 confirmed COVID-19 cases across all 120 Kentucky Counties as of today (this includes 303,625 statewide plus 1,087 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s/Department for Public Health’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. The LCDHD is working tirelessly, including nights and weekends, to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact, and to follow-up with positive cases when ready to be released. Additionally, we are striving diligently to follow-up on business-related complaints regarding noncompliance with the Governor’s Executive Orders. We are also working with any community partner that requests assistance for prevention or post-exposure planning/response. Finally, we are working with all community partners regarding vaccination planning.

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

LCDHD is currently operating in Phase 1a of our COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. This includes vaccines for healthcare workers and first responders. We are not pre-registering for future vaccination phases at this time, as vaccines are not readily available. Please follow this website and the LCDHD social media sites such as Facebook for details about future vaccine availability once additional vaccine is received. Also, don’t forget about the contract with Walgreens and CVS pharmacies to vaccinate the long-term care facilities and personal care homes — residents and staff.

https://www.lcdhd.org/2021/01/10/public-information-brief-1-10-21/

SATURDAY, JAN. 9, 2021:

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 142 today: Adair: 5; Casey: 7; Clinton: 11; Cumberland: 3; Green: 11; McCreary: 14; Pulaski: 70; Russell: 7; Taylor: 8; and, Wayne: 6. Our current new case growth rate is: 1.015. This means our total case count is projected to double every 47.45 days. The most new cases we ever added in a single day was on 12/30/2020 when we added 301 cases. Today’s new cases include:

Adair: A 19-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 42-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 64-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 29-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 3-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;

FRIDAY, JAN. 8, 2021:

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 243 today: Adair: 12; Casey: 8; Clinton: 28; Cumberland: 8; Green: 10; McCreary: 20; Pulaski: 104; Russell: 14; Taylor: 19; and, Wayne: 20. Our current new case growth rate is: 1.015. This means our total case count is projected to double every 46.41 days. The most new cases we ever added in a single day was on 12/30/2020 when we added 301 cases. Today’s new cases include:

Adair: A 43-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 17-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 41-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 69-year-old female who is released, Asymptomatic;
Adair: A 13-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 63-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 24-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 55-year-old female who is released, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 6-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 20-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 51-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 20-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;

The Columbia/Adair County Fire Department named Robby Shelton (center) Firefighter of the Year for 2020.

He is joined by Adair County Fire Chief Dennis Loy and Columbia City Fire Chief Mike Glasgow.

FRANKFORT – Thanks to the many sacrifices made by Kentuckians during the pandemic, the State of the Commonwealth is stronger and more prepared than most to defeat COVID-19 and sprint into our future, Gov. Andy Beshear declared Thursday in a speech to a joint meeting of the General Assembly.

The Governor delivered his combined State of the Commonwealth and Budget Address in a virtual speech recorded in his office due to coronavirus restrictions and delayed a day by the attack on the U.S. Capitol by domestic terrorists.

“Tonight, I address both a state and a country that are hurting,” Gov. Beshear said during his address. “Hurting from a pandemic that has swept across the world, upended our economy and taken the lives of our loved ones. Hurting from attacks on our democracy that yesterday rose to the level of a direct attack on the United States Capitol.”

The Governor urged Kentuckians to reject violence and political rhetoric that incites hatred and division.

Looking to the future, the Governor unveiled a three-pillared Better Kentucky Budget proposal that will help ensure we take full advantage of every opportunity and lead in the post-COVID economy.

“To achieve our goal of a better Kentucky, all branches of government must be prepared to take bold action,” Gov. Beshear. “We have not had this much opportunity for new investment in our people and our future in a generation. Let’s make it count. Let’s have courage. Let’s be bold. Let’s not fumble the opportunity.”

The Governor’s proposal includes measures everyone should support. The proposed budget includes relief to unemployed workers and small businesses; makes long-needed improvements to the unemployment system; provides assistance for more Kentuckians to attend college or earn a certificate; and expands broadband. It also includes raises for educators and state employees; an extra $100 million to build and renovate schools; funding increases for K-12 and higher education; full funding for retirement and Medicaid; money for additional social workers; and an additional $100 million for the Rainy Day Fund, which is now at its highest level ever.

During his address, before laying out details of his vision for a better Kentucky, the Governor asked those willing to say a prayer and participate in a moment of silence for the more than 2,800 Kentuckians lost to COVID-19.

He also recognized Kentuckians’ selfless actions, which, along with the smart, aggressive steps his administration has taken, suppressed three waves of infection and saved thousands of Kentucky lives.

“You don’t have to take my word for it,” the Governor said. “You can look at the devastating experiences in states that failed to take the same aggressive steps we have to stop this deadly virus. Adjusted for population, we have suffered less than half the number of deaths as the people of Tennessee and less than one-fourth the number of deaths as the citizens of North and South Dakota. Through these trials, we learned that an effective virus response is necessary to sustain and rebuild our economy.”

Despite the economic damage caused by the pandemic, which negatively affected many small businesses and families, Gov. Beshear said the hard work of his administration, especially his State Budget Director, John Hicks, led to encouraging state budget news that allows the state to provide relief to those still hurting and to invest.

Director Hicks said the budget is structurally sound, fiscally responsible including the largest ever Rainy Day Fund and includes $600 million in one-time funds. The budget also adheres to the revenue estimates of the Consensus Forecasting Group and it does not rely on new taxes, new revenue measures or spending cuts.

Pillar 1: Immediate Relief to Families and Businesses Harmed During the Pandemic For small business relief for those that have experienced losses because of the pandemic, the Governor is proposing a fast-tracked bill to immediately make available $220 million in the Better Kentucky Small Business Relief Fund. This represents the single largest relief fund of its kind in generations.

For individual relief, the Governor is authorizing $48 million in CARES Act funding to those who have waited too long to receive unemployment benefits and to help those who missed out on the federal government’s Lost Wages Assistance Program because they made too little.

The Better Kentucky Budget also allocates $47.5 million to correct a legacy of underfunding the unemployment insurance (UI) system after the Governor’s administration inherited a UI operation running on an IT system that has been in operation since the 1970s and is functionally obsolete.

In the years leading up to the pandemic, the previous administration, and previous sessions, closed in-person offices and cut 95 skilled employees from UI. In addition, the UI budget was slashed by $16 million. This, coupled with a once-in-a-lifetime, 1,300% year-over-year increase in claims meant many Kentuckians have had to wait too long during a difficult time for their payments. The Governor’s budget includes General Fund spending of $1.1 million in fiscal year 2021 and $8.4 million in fiscal year 2022 to provide funding to restore employees to help with unemployment claims at the 12 career centers throughout the commonwealth.

“This is help they are owed and deserve and far too many have waited far too long,” the Governor said.

Finally, using CARES Act funding, the Governor has already repaid $152 million in UI loans, and his budget proposal adds another $100 million in repayment.

Pillar 2: Investing in Our People The Governor is prioritizing the needs of our children and families, including their education, health care and retirements.

Gov. Beshear recognized that educators and school staffers have had to overcome incredible challenges this year, quickly adjusting to online instruction when needed and making sure children were fed even when they were not in the classroom. The Governor is proposing a $1,000 raise for teachers and classified staffers, who have gone above and beyond in their duties.

He is investing in our children by increasing the SEEK formula and funding textbooks and technology. The Governor is supporting preschool programs in disadvantaged areas and restoring a teacher loan forgiveness program.

The Governor also is proposing a 1% raise for our hardworking state employees. He is seeking to improve compensation for local and state law enforcement and firefighters, who are always on the front lines, with a $600 stipend increase from the Law Enforcement and Firefighters Foundation Program funds, bringing the stipend up to $4,600. He also provides a full exclusion of military pensions from the Kentucky income tax, recognizing the service that our men and women in uniform have provided to our country and the commonwealth, and welcoming them to live, work and retire here.

The Better Kentucky Budget invests in our families’ health care by fully funding Medicaid, adding 76 new social workers for child protective services, increasing the number of slots available for Michelle P Medicaid waivers and more. He said his administration will continue to address inequities in access to health care, which have been spotlighted by the pandemic.

The Governor is supporting the selfless local health departments by doubling their General Fund support, adding another $12 million in fiscal year 2022 to improve their epidemiology and clinical capacity.

To support healthy retirements, the Governor is providing pension relief to critical quasi-governmental agencies, like child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters, as well as local health departments and community mental health centers. The Governor’s Better Kentucky Budget also includes full pension funding for the Teachers’ Retirement System for just the second time.

The Governor includes more than $580,000 for the University Press of Kentucky and $20 million in aid to small nonprofit organizations.

In doing what is right, Gov. Beshear’s budget reinstates funding for the Commission on Women, reinstates the Office of Minority Empowerment and provides additional funds each year to reinvest in the Commission on Human Rights.

Pillar 3: Investing Boldly in Our Future The third pillar of the Better Kentucky Budget makes bold, strategic investments in our future using $272 million in one-time funds to improve infrastructure and create thousands of jobs, all while exercising fiscal responsibility.

“The shock of COVID-19 has brought on our current transformational period, and how we lead in the next year will dictate whether Kentucky simply recovers back to the old normal or, instead, takes its place among the most productive and innovative states in the union,” said Gov. Beshear.

His budget focuses on repairing crumbling schools, some of which date to before the 1930s, with a one-time $100 million investment to renovate or replace them. This will improve the educational experience for students and teachers, while also creating thousands of construction jobs.

He is investing in our workforce with more dollars to higher education and by creating the Better Kentucky Promise, a program that aims to provide the necessary last dollars that should allow nearly 6,300 Kentuckians to complete associate’s degrees or secure certificates.

The budget provides $50 million to fund last-mile broadband coverage. This is the first time ever that state dollars have been used to invest in expanding broadband.

“We used to think of broadband in terms of just business. Now we know it touches every part of our lives: the education of our kids, how we receive health care. This is the most important infrastructure of the future,” Gov. Beshear said.

The Governor is proposing the Emerging Industries Fund, which is designed to provide flexible resources targeted to Kentucky’s future economy and developing technologies in agritech, aerospace, health care, logistics, advanced manufacturing and other key areas. By incentivizing these sectors, Kentucky will be more prepared to succeed in the post-COVID economy.

The Better Kentucky Budget also includes $7.7 million in state bond funds to match $38.7 million in federal dollars to repair, replace and improve local drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and $6 million in state bonds so that localities can access federal funds for critical flood control projects in our communities.

The Governor also wants lawmakers to address the transportation budget. He said doing so will require both short-term and long-term solutions, but it is time to create more jobs and stimulate the economy.

Building a better Kentucky also means our laws do not unduly restrict us from innovation.

“I’m asking all of my cabinet secretaries to identify ways to modernize with an eye towards determining what services can remain remote. A resident of Paducah or Ashland who wants a license or certificate shouldn’t have to spend more time in their car coming to Frankfort than he or she does actually taking the test to get the certificate,” said Gov. Beshear.

And speaking of laws that unduly restrict growth, the Governor said it is time to legalize medical marijuana, pass sports betting and save historic horse racing.

The Governor also said part of building a better Kentucky is acknowledging and addressing the racism that continues to exist in this country and in this commonwealth.

“To live our motto, ‘United We Stand,’ requires us to view and treat each other as equals,” Gov. Beshear said.

Finally, Gov. Beshear urged lawmakers to come together in support of all Kentucky families, and to take the virus seriously to avoid more pain, death and disruption and to set politics aside.

“So, let me be clear: Every moment in this short session that we spend fighting is a loss for our Kentucky families. Such fighting will leave us empty-handed and further behind those states that recognize this moment and this opportunity. Our goal should be to act swiftly and with wisdom on behalf of the people of the commonwealth.

“Now is our time. We can’t play politics while our people struggle,” the Governor added.

The Governor said there are many issues that Republicans and Democrats can agree on, and he looks forward to working with Senate President Robert Stivers, House Speaker David Osborne and every member of the General Assembly to set a positive tone in Frankfort and take advantage of this opportunity.

The Governor said: “We get to decide how history looks back on us in 10, 20 or 50 years. This is our chance. Let’s think and act differently so we can get different and better results.”

During his remarks, the Governor mentioned that over the past year, the words of President Abraham Lincoln, whose statue holds a place of pride in the Capitol Rotunda, have motivated him during the tough days and inspired his vision.

“I am reminded of his message to the federal legislature in 1862. He said, ‘The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.’

“While half of the country disagreed with every decision President Lincoln made, history has judged him amongst our greatest leaders.

“President Lincoln – the epitome of leadership in times of turmoil and division – reminds us of the importance of this moment. He said, ‘Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.’”

Gov. Beshear concluded his remarks by reminding Kentuckians that this is likely one of the most important and formative years for Kentucky in a generation.

“Let’s get to work in building a better Kentucky,” he said.

Note: To help limit the spread of COVID-19, the Governor filmed his nearly 30 minutes of remarks at his desk in the Capitol Building in Frankfort. Based on a suggestion from KET, the speech was pre-recorded to avoid any technical issues. KET will provide full coverage and live close captioning.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – On Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced nearly 5,000 new COVID-19 cases in the commonwealth’s second-highest daily report – yesterday’s report was the highest-ever – and the state’s highest positivity rate since May 5.

The Governor has announced 10,653 cases in just two days.

“We are in a dangerous place. It is now clear that we are seeing an escalation related to holiday gatherings. This is not the time to make it harder to react to this virus when it may be surging again,” said Gov. Beshear. “We have to have the tools to fight back.

“Wear your masks all the time when you are indoors and there is anybody else there who is from outside your household. At this point, do it for your own safety. That’s what we need to do to get through these next couple months. Over the last two days, we have vaccinated 32,524 Kentuckians. We are ready to defeat this virus and we need to make sure we protect our people while we do.”

He said Kentuckians can watch his joint State of the Commonwealth and budget address tonight at 7 p.m. EST via his social media channels, where closed captions are also available. For full coverage, Kentuckians can tune to Kentucky Educational Television.

Yesterday, the Governor released a statement on the events that unfolded at the United States Capitol that you can view here.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 4,911
New deaths today: 37
Positivity rate: 11.9%
Total deaths: 2,843
Currently hospitalized: 1,744
Currently in ICU: 424
Currently on ventilator: 217

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Warren, Kenton, Morgan and Boone. Each of these counties reported 150 or more new cases; Jefferson County alone reported 683.

It has been approximately six weeks since students in the Adair County School District have been attending classes at their respective schools. With COVID-19 numbers rising, Gov. Andy Beshear directed all educational facilities to go to virtual learning.
On Monday, Jan. 11, Adair County students will take a step toward getting things back to normal as they are scheduled to attend in-person classes for the remainder of the school year.

“Things are looking pretty good right now. We’re excited about getting the kids back,” said Adair County Superintendent Dr. Pam Stephens. “The schools are calling every student’s home to find out if they will be returning face to face or continuing with the virtual option.
“The virtual option is going to stay out there for Adair County for the remainder of the school year. I don’t see that changing at all because we want to give people options. We know we can educate the kids better when they’re here, but we also understand the fear factor.”
Stephens said the plan for returning to class would have high school students attending four days a week with students at the primary center, the elementary school and the middle school using the hybrid plan. Students there will go either Monday and Thursday or Tuesday or Friday.

She said part of the reasoning behind the move is the student numbers at the high school are low enough that classes can be social distanced with relative ease. The primary and elementary students’ attendance numbers are up, and the size of classrooms at the middle school do not allow enough room for social distancing a large group of students.

That plan suits Robyn Mantooth, a freshman reading and English teacher at the high school, just fine.
“The virtual teaching plan is new so it has definitely been challenging, but with that you just have to rise up to the challenge,” said Mantooth. “The reason why I even became a teacher was because of that one-on-one with the students. I am very excited to see the students coming back, a little cautious, too. With Covid numbers on the rise, I want to see them, but I know we need to be cautious.”

Stephens said school officials are also going to make in-class work more along the lines of how school typically is.

“We know our kids have lost a lot,” Stephens said. “We’re already looking at a different version of a summer school program, possibly. We’re looking to the future, but we’ve planned for the current.

“We know we can cover more material when we are sitting looking at students face to face. We’re not going to slow down the students that are coming face to face (by having virtual and in-person students together). We’re not going to hold anyone back.”
Mantooth said she’s wondering how many students she will have on Monday and how she will be able to accommodate everyone while making sure she and the students follow safety protocol.

“When students arrive in the classroom, I do not tell them to get on the Chrome Book and that I have a video for them to watch. I teach them at the board,” she said. “I hope I can still teach them the way they need to be taught. I also want to be able to meet their emotional needs, too.

“I am ready to make it fun in the classroom, but it is not a one way street. I need the kids to be responsive. I need them to be open-minded and talk back with me. It is how I have always taught.”

By Scott Wilson
Assistant Editor
scott@adairvoice.com

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 5,742
New deaths today: 34
Positivity rate: 11.7%
Total deaths: 2,806
Currently hospitalized: 1,778
Currently in ICU: 428
Currently on ventilator: 244

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Warren, Kenton and Daviess. Each of these counties reported 200 or more new cases; Jefferson County alone reported 828.

Adair County Schools Superintendent Dr. Pam Stephens has released the latest Covid numbers for the school district. A total of 18 staff and students have tested positive for the virus.