KENTUCKY — The United States continues to see a surge in new coronavirus cases.

According to John Hopkins University, more new cases of the coronavirus were reported across the country on Friday than on any other single day since the pandemic started in March.

The data shows that 83,000 new cases were recorded on Friday, October 23 and that number surpasses the previous record set in mid-July of more than 77,000 cases recorded in one day.

Here in Kentucky - the Governor’s office is reporting more than 50 out of Kentucky’s 120 counties are showing in the red, on the state’s incidence map, meaning the counties have an incidence rate of 25 cases per 100,000 people at the critical level.

Those with a rate between 10 and 25 cases per 100,000 people are in the accelerated level and shown in orange.

"We've got to tamp down these cases, the more cases, the more people end up in the hospital, and the more people die, do what it takes to protect your neighbor to protect their life. That's what we're fighting for now, life and death," explained Governor Andy Beshear (D)

University of Louisville School of Medicine Vice Dean of Research, Dr. Jon Klein, spoke over the weekend about the next steps related to Kentucky’s escalating COVID-19 numbers.

"Our numbers are a little less aggressive than we see in the rest of the country but we're also at the very beginning. There's a natural cycle that we've seen now this will be the third time in this pandemic where we begin to see a rise in the percentage of tests that are positive, followed by the number of cases, followed by the hospitalizations, which was then followed by the ICU admissions, the ventilator usage, and then unfortunately and sadly, ultimately the trailing indicators, the number of deaths,” said Klein.

During Monday's upcoming COVID-19 daily update, Governor Beshear says his office will provide some new recommendations to Kentucky counties that are in the red, to assist in limiting community spread of the virus.