© 2024 WEKU
Lexington's Radio News Leader
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WEKU's Spring Campaign for Support Has Ended! Thank you to our generous supporters! If you missed out, it's not too late. Click here to make your donation!

Governor Beshear Announces New Coronavirus Testing Program

Kentucky health officials admittedly say it’s unclear how long coronavirus will be an all-consuming concern in the Commonwealth.  During his daily briefing Sunday night, Governor Beshear said with ongoing public commitment to health recommendations, it’s possible the peak of disease in Kentucky could come in early May.  The governor announced 38 new cases and five deaths.  Beshear said the lower number of cases could be due to fewer labs reporting tests this weekend.

The governor said a northern Kentucky firm, Gravity Diagnostic, is projecting it can produce 2000 test results in about 24 hours. “The testing would significant increase our number of tests around the state.  I’m gonna read out number that we can confirm right now, but it’s about 18,000.  If you think about 2000 a day and if we have enough swabs to do that, we’ll almost double the number of tests that we can confirm in Kentucky in a full week,” said Beshear.

Kentucky’s Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack noted wearing a cloth mask in public to protect against coronavirus doesn’t eliminate the need for social distancing of six to ten feet.  

The state public health leader said the use of masks in public could be a distraction.  Stack offered high marks for how Kentuckians have responded to the call to take this disease seriously.  He noted how a state by state comparison shows Kentucky near the bottom on a line graph.  “So we face a lot of public health challenges and unfortunately we are at the bottom in a number of other areas that we want to work real hard to fix.  This is a time where being at the bottom is being is being the best,” explained Stack.

Governor Beshear said 334 Kentucky National Guard members are now engaged, helping at hospitals and food banks across Kentucky.  He praised local government leaders for their cooperation during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you appreciate access to this important content during this global health emergency, please help us continue to provide public service journalism and information to Central and Eastern Kentucky communities. Please make your contribution to WEKU today.

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.
Related Content