FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Coronavirus-related hospitalizations in Kentucky have dropped in recent days, leaving state officials hopeful the new month will be much better than September, when the delta variant ravaged the Commonwealth.


What You Need To Know

  • Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations have decreased in the past seven days, Gov. Beshear said Thursday

  • Kentucky was hard hit by a prolonged coronavirus surge, with virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths rising dramatically as the highly contagious delta variant spread

  • Officials said cases seem to be leveling off now, providing a hint of optimism for a less deadly October

  • 82 COVID-19 deaths were reported in Kentucky on Wednesday

Statewide hospitalizations and patients in intensive care units due to COVID-19 decreased in the past seven days based on a “rolling average,” Gov. Andy Beshear said.

“This is now enough of a trend to say we are in a decline, and we hope it continues for people hospitalized because of COVID,” Beshear said during Thursday's Team Kentucky briefing.

The Bluegrass state was hard hit by a prolonged coronavirus surge, with virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths rising dramatically as the highly contagious delta variant spread. On Wednesday, the governor said that COVID-19 cases were continuing to level off.

“Knock on wood, folks, hopefully October is much, much better than September,” Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner, said Thursday.

As of Wednesday, 1,995 Kentuckians were hospitalized with COVID-19, down from a peak of over 2,500 in early September. But the governor warned that virus-related hospitalizations remain far too high. 

“If we went back a month and a half, where we are right now would rightfully scare the heck out of us,” Beshear said. “So let’s make sure that that decline continues.”

The state’s death toll from COVID-19 also continues to climb steadily. On Wednesday, the governor reported 82 more virus-related deaths in Kentucky.