Positive COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate continue to climb in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear said Monday, urging residents of the commonwealth to be vaccinated and boosted against the virus.
“We are certainly in the middle of another COVID-19 escalation. But we have more tools to stop this in its tracks than ever before,” said Beshear. “The great news is, we saw more vaccinations over this last weekend than we have seen in a long time, in every stage of the vaccination process. This is how we fight back against this virus.”
From Friday through Monday, the state recorded 7,704 newly confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and 262 associated deaths.
The positivity rate on Monday is 9.13%.
In Northern Kentucky, there were 877 new COVID-19 cases Friday through Monday across five counties (338 in Kenton, 281 in Boone, 188 in Campbell, 50 in Grant, and 20 in Pendleton).
Over the past weekend alone, 45,137 Kentuckians received a booster shot, 15,117 received their first dose of a OVID-19 vaccine, and 18,189 were fully vaccinated, Beshear said.
The governor also encouraged Kentuckians to wear masks if indoors and unvaccinated or not boosted, and to keep gatherings this holiday season small.
There are currently 1,077 people hospitalized across the state due to COVID-19 including 310 in intensive care units and 168 on ventilators.
During the week ending Dec. 5, there were 15,936 new COVID-19 cases reported in Kentucky, and the average test positivity rate was 8.79%.
WATCH GOV. BESHEAR’S MONDAY UPDATE HERE:
-Staff report