Beshear reported 785 new cases of the virus across the state, bringing the total number of cases to 36,686. According to Beshear, twenty-five of the new cases are from children 5 and younger.
Six new deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths to 796. At least 8,965 Kentuckians have recovered.
Kentucky's positivity rate currently stands at 5.67 percent.
"We had more than 100,000 kids test positive nationwide just in the last couple weeks of July. We are seeing an explosion of positive tests among our young people," said Gov. Beshear. "We cannot experiment with the health of our children."
Additionally, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health Dr. Steven Stack encouraged schools across the state to start the school year off virtually.
Stack says beginning the school year virtually would give districts more time to prepare for a safe reopening later in the fall, while public health officials learn more about preventing the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms, cafeterias, and school buses.
"Some schools have had to quarantine many students within days of kicking off the school year. I very much support the decision that the Governor made. I respect it's a very difficult decision, but our disease burden for COVID-19 is at its all-time high," said Dr. Stack. "We need to get kids back to school but we need to get kids back to school safely."
Stack then encouraged all Kentuckians to protect themselves and their communities by getting the annual flu vaccine.
"Get your flu shot. We need everyone to do this. We have to keep influenza as suppressed as we possibly can," said Dr. Stack. "In a bad year with influenza, our hospitals are strained just keeping up with flu patients."
Beshear and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander announced that many nonprofits will now have free access to the state's new volunteer recruitment and management website, Volunteer Kentucky.
The website, which is offered through Serve Kentucky, will aim to provide a more efficient volunteer recruitment and management system for those in need. The site will help to better track volunteerism in the state.
"Kentuckians are generous people and are always stepping up to give back and help one another in a safe way during these unprecedented times," Gov. Beshear said. "Through this new platform, more of our nonprofits have the ability to recruit new volunteers to help support many worthy causes."
You can see Beshear's full update below.
