Addison Watson
Staff Writer
Calloway County COVID-19 Update
On Monday, April 6, the Calloway County Health Department confirmed two more cases of COVID-19 bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Calloway County to eight.
According to the press release, three of the cases seen in Calloway County have fully recovered, one is hospitalized and four are isolated at home.
Kim Paschall, director of nursing for Murray Calloway County Hospital, believes there will be more cases in the coming days and weeks.
“Due to the nature of this virus, we can expect more confirmed cases,” Paschall said. “In the next several weeks, we need to make sure the guidance is followed to stay home and stay away from others in order to save lives.”
Jerry Penner, CEO of the hospital, announced on their Facebook page that Calloway County was selected to be one of 23 expedited test center hospitals throughout Kentucky. Testing is expected to begin on April 7.
For more information on the testing, tune in to FOR CALLOWAY on Facebook on Tuesday, April 7 at noon CST where Dr. Nicholas Odell and Jeff Eye will discuss the process. The Facebook page can be found here.
Gov. Andy Beshear’s Update
In a press release on Monday, April 6, Gov. Andy Beshear issued an urgent call for personal protection equipment from any person, business or organization that has the resources to donate.
Beshear has mentioned in his previous Facebook livestreams and press conferences that the outpour of donations by Kentuckians around the state has been extremely helpful, but the state continues to need more.
“I know we still have more PPE out there, and we need it,” Beshear said. “This is a call to action, and you have responded, but I know there’s more.”
Beshear said the most needed items are latex-free gloves, gowns, N95 masks and surgical masks. His administration is constantly making efforts to purchase more equipment, but they are facing challenges.
“Almost every lead we get is like going down a rabbit hole, or it is diverted by the federal government or to a different place,” Beshear said.
A recently established hotline makes donating personal protective equipment easy. Donations may be made by calling 1-833-GIVE-PPE, or by visiting the website giveppe.ky.gov.
All 16 state police posts and the Transportation Cabinet offices in Louisville and Lexington are accepting donations.
Beshear mentioned that Vice President Mike Pence warned Americans that the country will see “heartbreaking loss” this week.
“Our goal in Kentucky is, while we know there will be loss and we know it will be heartbreaking, that we control our own destiny by what we do and we minimize the loss that we are going to have here,” Beshear said.
Beshear continues to encourage all Kentuckians to continue fighting the virus by staying home and practicing social distancing when in public. Beshear said following the public health guidelines his administration has issued has the potential to save as many as 11,000 Kentuckians.
Steven Stack, commissioner for the Department for Public Health, gave a warning to Kentuckians on the results of COVID-19 tests now that more tests are being done.
“A positive test does mean you have the disease, but a negative test does not guarantee you do not have the disease,” Stack said. “That’s because sometimes if you test too early when someone is not showing symptoms, you may not have enough virus in your body for us to find it when we test you.”
Stack said in some cases people get tested too early and the results are negative, but they remain contagious for many days after.
Beshear is making good on his promise to not allow businesses to price gouge consumers in Kentucky by extending his executive order, prohibiting price gouging for an additional 15 days.
Kentucky is allowing first responders and front-line health care workers to quarantine in the cabins inside Kentucky’s state parks. There are five locations across the state where they can do so. This is designed so the worker can safely quarantine away from their families if necessary.
To further assist hospitals and food banks, the Kentucky National Guard has activated 334 members.
Kentucky has exceeded 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 5 p.m. on April 6, bringing the total to 1,008. Fifty-four of these cases were newly confirmed and 14 deaths were reported on Monday as well. The count does not include the new cases identified in Calloway County.
“Our actions every single day make a difference,” Beshear said. “We can be great by passing this test of humanity, protecting the people around us and throughout Kentucky.”
Beshear is asking Kentuckians to join him in lighting their homes green in remembrance of those who have died because of the virus.