October 15, 2020

Gov. Beshear Provides Update on COVID-19

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 15, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continuing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“Today’s COVID report is not good news,” said Gov. Beshear. “We keep reiterating that we have to do better and we have to wear masks and we keep seeing high numbers that highlight how important that is.”

‘The Fast 4 at 4’
Thursday, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman highlighted important news for Kentuckians.

1. Kentucky Fresh Harvest
   Today, Kentucky Fresh Harvest opened its Stanford greenhouse that will produce snacking tomatoes. The $20 million investment will create 75 full-time jobs for Lincoln County and is another step toward establishing Kentucky as a national AgriTech leader.

   “As a rural Kentuckian, it gives me pride that these jobs of the future are being created in my backyard,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “As we build a better Kentucky, access to a good paying job is a top priority and our administration is working hard to keep this promise.”

2. Census
   Lt. Gov. Coleman emphasized that today is the last day to complete the 2020 Census.

   “We have said many times, this is a huge deal. Your participation in the census dictates critical items for the next 10 years like Kentucky’s representation in Congress and federal funding for roads, schools, housing and social programs,” said the Lieutenant Governor.

   Kentuckians can: complete the Census at 2020Census.gov until 5:59 am EDT Friday, Oct. 16; click here to respond by phone in 13 languages; or mail in their census, postmarked today.

3. Protect Your Hearing Month
   Lt. Gov. Coleman highlighted that October is National Protect Your Hearing Month. Learn more about protecting your hearing at kcdhh.ky.gov or by calling 502-573-2604.

   “It is estimated that 1 in 5 Americans – 700,000 Kentuckians – have hearing loss. Sadly, many of these cases are preventable,” the Lieutenant Governor said. “I cannot bring up this subject without talking about Virginia. Team Kentucky is with you.”

4. MaskUpKY
   Finally, Lt. Gov. Coleman reminded Kentuckians that wearing a mask is the most important thing they can do to protect themselves, their families and their community.

   “We appreciate the fact that so many are willing to keep everyone safe by wearing masks,” Lt. Gov. Coleman said.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Oct. 15, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 84,195 COVID-19 cases in Kentucky, 1,260 of which were newly reported Thursday. There were 168 newly reported cases from children up to age 18, of which 29 were children 5 and under. The youngest was only 5 months old.

“We just can’t ignore it. We can’t pretend like it’s not here,” said Gov. Beshear. “We can’t allow the fact that we are inconvenienced make us pretend that the virus isn’t with us and isn’t deadly.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported 20 new deaths Thursday, raising the total to 1,296 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Thursday include an 86-year-old man from Bracken County; a 71-year-old woman from Christian County; four women, ages 82, 88, 92 and 100, from Daviess County; two women, ages 74 and 96, from Greenup County; two women, ages 92 and 97, and a 74-year-old man from Henderson County; two women, ages 49 and 84, and a 64-year-old man from Jefferson County; an 88-year-old woman from Knott County; an 80-year-old man from Pulaski County; a 72-year-old woman from Scott County; an 81-year-old man from Webster County; and an 85-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man from Whitley County.

“Today is a really hard day. The individuals lost today and their families need our help, need our green lights, and need our bells at 10 a.m. every morning,” said Gov. Beshear. “I can’t tell you how painful it is to read 20 entries. We are going to have a lot more days like this if we don’t do better about wearing masks, about social distancing and about following the rules.”

As of Thursday, there have been at least 1,751,264 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate was 4.94%, and at least 16,928 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here. To see all recent daily reports, click here.

Information about COVID-19 and schools is also being made available. To view the reports, click here for K-12 and here for colleges and universities.