Is Kentucky heading for a coronavirus spike?

The true picture for Kentucky may not emerge for weeks.
Published: Jul. 7, 2020 at 9:54 PM EDT
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - New information is provoking questions about the possibility of a new spike in COVID-19 cases emerging in Kentucky. The New York Times lists the Commonwealth as one of 40 states where coronavirus cases are increasing per capita, the same category where you find Georgia and Florida.

On Monday, Governor Andy Beshear reported 268 new cases, describing Kentucky numbers as in a plateau.

“Our numbers have been holding remarkably steady even as other states have experienced sharp increases,” Beshear said in a press release.

Maps from Johns Hopkins University also show a similar trend in rising cases, using dark reddish colors to mark counties with growing numbers.

“There are a lot of different measurements and metrics and stuff like that out there,” Louisville Metro Health and Wellness Chief Epidemiologist Rui Zhao said, “both the ones that we use as epidemiologists and ones that are for media and other sources.”

Zhao said the true picture for Kentucky may not emerge for weeks.

“I believe we started opening May 20th,” Zhao said. “So maybe we won’t see the same things that other states are seeing, hopefully not. But we’re still a little further out from being able to tell what’s going on here.”

Doctors say a plateau is a sign of progress but not victory.

“Everyone’s correct. We are in a plateau,” Dr. Wayne Tuckson, a Louisville colon and rectal surgeon and public health advocate said. “Some of our numbers have gone up but again, relative to the testing I think that we’re doing. So overall I think we’re still doing pretty good here in Kentucky, and definitely relative to other states around us, we’re doing very good.”

A plateau means healthcare resources are not being overwhelmed, but people are still getting sick.

Health officials urge following social distancing guidelines, wearing masks and washing hands.

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