FRANKFORT, Ky. — The coronavirus numbers in Kentucky continue to surge with the highest single-day count coming Wednesday.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced 1,346 new cases and of those, 171 were children under the age of 18. The youngest positive patient was just 2 months old. 

“I’ve said this should be a wake-up call or maybe a jolt or shock to the system, but everybody ought to be concerned and everybody ought to be doing the right thing,” the Governor said. “Let’s push the complacency out and let’s get the urgency back in.”

The governor was quick to point out that of the cases reported for Wednesday, none of them were from backlogged cases. 

Seven Kentuckians lost their lives to the virus, bringing the state total to 1,276. Those that died include a 76-year-old man from Boyd County; a 76-year-old man from Bullitt County; a 49-year-old woman from Fayette County; a 78-year-old man from Franklin County; an 82-year-old woman from Henderson County; a 76-year-old man from Jefferson County; and an 81-year-old man from Webster County.

Beshear also announced the deaths of two Kentucky veterans who were at the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore w.

“They were at the Lexington VA,” he said. “Those are now the second and third veterans in our nursing homes who we have lost. It’s another reason to make sure we’re doing everything we can to stop the spread of this virus.”

Beshear and Kentucky public health commissioner Steven Stack continue to stress the importance of wearing masks, social distancings, practicing good hygiene, and avoiding large gatherings of more than ten people.

There are more than 300 testing sites around the state and Stack announced new partnerships in areas that need services. 

“One of the central missions of public health is to try to help make sure underserved and disadvantaged individuals have access to health care just like everybody else,” Dr. Stack said.

The new testing sites include: Purchase District Health Department, serving McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton counties, at PurchaseHealth.org; Ashland-Boyd Health Department, serving Boyd, Greenup, Carter and Lawrence counties, at ABCHDKentucky.com; the Kentucky River Health Department, serving Lee, Wolfe and Owsley counties at KRDHD.org; and Lincoln Trail Health Department, serving Hardin, Meade, LaRue, Nelson, Marion, Washington, Breckinridge and Grayson counties at LTDHD.org.

For a complete list of information about coronavirus in Kentucky, visit our special coronavirus blog.