Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced the Commonwealth’s highest week ever for new COVID-19 cases.
On Monday, Beshear said Kentucky reported over 52,603 new cases of the virus last week. The total is the highest weekly total ever by nearly 22,000 cases, according to the Governor’s office.
Moreover, Monday’s reports included the state’s highest test positivity rate of 26.33%.
“Omicron continues to burn through the commonwealth, growing at levels we have never seen before. Omicron is significantly more contagious than even the delta variant,” said Gov. Beshear. “If it spreads at the rate we are seeing, it is certainly going to fill up our hospitals.”
Beshear said he is deploying 445 Kentucky National Guard members to 30 health care facilities to provide support.
“We are now in a nearly vertical spike the likes of which dwarf all prior escalations,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH). “In just two weeks, Kentucky has gone from roughly half our delta variant surge peak to more than double our delta variant surge peak. At this point, essentially all COVID-19 in Kentucky is likely to be the omicron variant.”
Dr. Stack provided several tips to help Kentuckians during the surge:
If you are sick, stay home until you feel better.
Get vaccinated or boosted, if eligible. Boosters dramatically bolster your protection against severe disease and death.
Wear a well-fitting mask at all times when indoors in public places such school, work, stores, etc.
If you think you have COVID-19 and/or have had a high-risk exposure and you are able, get tested.
Kentucky’s current hospitalizations amount to 1,873 patients with 452 of patients requiring Intensive care treatment and 238 patients requiring ventilators to breathe.