LOUISVILLE, Ky (AP) - As Kentucky continues to wrestle with a pandemic that has killed more than 2,000 residents, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that hospitals in many parts of state are nearing full capacity, and warned that it could make it more difficult for people to receive proper treatment.
“Hospital capacity in many ways doesn’t care about ‘why’ you’re there,” he said. “We need an ICU bed open for any individual that might need one.”
The Democratic governor announced that hospital capacity for inpatient beds, ICU beds, or ventilators is at or above 80% in four parts of the state. ICU capacity in two zones, one along the Tennessee border, and one in eastern Kentucky, is over 90%. Beshear added that he does not anticipate that the state will run out of ventilators.
Hospitalizations are up roughly 17% since the beginning of November, and Kentucky has averaged around 3,300 new cases per day in the past week alone, according to data released by the governor’s office.
Hospitals throughout the states have raced to keep up with the surge of new cases. A University of Kentucky hospital has closed five of its operating rooms to increase capacity for COVID-19 patients, while another in northeastern Kentucky has resorted to using its lobby as an overflow area for the emergency room. The CEO of Pikeville Medical Center, a hospital located in southeastern Kentucky, has warned that the hospital is nearing ICU capacity and at risk of forgoing elective procedures.
Kentucky on Tuesday reported 3,114 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 20 new virus-related deaths. Roughly 1,760 people are currently hospitalized, including 416 people in intensive care units and 207 on ventilators.
The state’s test positivity rate is 9.56%, down slightly from Monday. The positivity rate is an indicator of the extent of the spread of the virus, according to the World Health Organization. If the rate is less than 5% for two weeks and testing is widespread, the virus is considered under control.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.
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Hudspeth Blackburn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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