Coronavirus in Kentucky: 546 new cases, 1 death

Nettie Depp statue to stand in KY capitol

Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman on Wednesday announced that the first monument honoring a woman will stand in the state capitol.

The statue – honoring Nettie Depp, a pioneer in Kentucky education – will be unveiled on Aug. 21, 2021, Coleman said.

"I hope that by having the statue of Nettie Depp displayed in the capitol we can inspire the next generation of Kentuckians, promote gender equality and highlight the importance of education and careers in education for the thousands of student visitors we welcome to Frankfort every year," she said.

546 new cases, 1 death

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday reported 546 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 32,731.

Twenty-one kids under five have tested positive for COVID-19, Beshear said. The youngest is 18 days old.

There was one more death from COVID-19 today, he said. This bring Kentucky's total number of deaths from coronavirus to 752.

The number of people currently hospitalized is 620, bringing the total number of patients ever hospitalized in the state to 3,903. 

There are 131 Kentuckians currently in intensive care units, increasing the total ever in the ICU to 1,239. 

New jobs to NKY

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear thanked Dollar General for choosing NKY as the location for a $65 million investment. 

Dollar General will bring 250 jobs to the city of Walton with a new 630,000-square-foot distribution center.

"Dollar General operates in more than more than 580 stores in the bluegrass state and employs more than 5,600 Kentuckians," Beshear said. "[It's] just a little bit of positive news that we're still creating jobs even while we're fighting a worldwide health pandemic."

KY First Lady, Lt. Gov. start mask donation initiative

Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced a new initiative on Tuesday, dubbed "Coverings for Kids," to collect face mask donations for Kentucky schools.

"We are seeking to collect mask donations – homemade or otherwise – to provide to Kentucky schools for students, educators and staff at no cost to the school districts," said Brittainy Beshear. "These donations will help our schools and students be healthy and help ease the additional stress that some face during this time."

The first lady said donations of face coverings in any size will be accepted.

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