Thread by @WFPLNews

We're standing by for a 4 o'clock briefing from @GovAndyBeshear. We'll tweet some highlights here in this thread, or you can hear the whole thing on 89.3FM (online at wfpl.org).

Beshear says July was the toughest month KY has experienced in terms of coronavirus cases. Last week was the toughest week. He says unfortunately that will have ramifications - death rates often follow a few weeks to a month behind cases.

Beshear says KY is still at risk of becoming the next Florida or Arizona. He says when people look back on this time, he wants KY to be front and center as a good example of making the sacrifices necessary to protect one another.

The governor says the good news is that it looks like the mask mandate is having an effect on case numbers. This graph shows the exponential growth we've seen in new cases. KY was on a trajectory to have 1,000+ cases a day by now, but the mask mandate slowed the growth.

Beshear says they're launching a statewide PSA campaign called Mask Up KY.

Today, Governor Andy Beshear is reporting 323 new cases of coronavirus in KY. There are 612 Kentuckians hospitalized with COVID-19, with 136 in the ICU. The state's positivity rate is now 5.18%.

Of today's new cases, 12 are kids under age 5 (the youngest two children are both 3 months old). There are two additional coronavirus deaths in KY today.

Since the pandemic started, there have been 31,508 total coronavirus cases in Kentucky, and 744 deaths.

In long term care facilities, there are 9 residents and 7 staff testing newly positive for coronavirus. There have been 3 new deaths in those settings.

Dr. Steven Stack is talking about the YMCA camp in Georgia where hundreds of campers and staff contracted COVID-19. Campers weren't required to wear masks, and 44% of people tested ended up with the virus (he says 75% of campers and workers were tested).

Governor Beshear says we need to remember hands, face and space. Wash your hands, cover your face, and maintain your 6 feet of space.

Governor Beshear says if you need a test or you want a test - if you're getting ready to go back to work, if you haven't been tested in a few weeks and you're worried - get tested. He says you can find an appointment at kycovid19.ky.gov.

Beshear says a new partnership with UofL healthcare will help replace some of the Kroger sites that have closed. Call 502-588-0414 to sign up - number will become active tomorrow.

Governor Beshear says there will be an announcement about testing in Lexington within the next few days, involving the University of KY.

Beshear says there are now enough testing sites in KY that if you wanted to get a test tomorrow, there should be no reason why you can't get one.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman is reviewing the steps KY has taken to keep students safe this school year:

Secretary J. Michael Brown has an update on the investigation into the death of #DavidMcAtee: He says the gov vowed from the beginning that there would be a quick thorough investigation & the community deserves the truth. They assigned KSP to investigate.

Brown reviews the findings that #DavidMcAtee was hit by a bullet fired by a KY National Guard member. He says the video showed McAtee with a handgun that night & had gunshot residue was found on his hands.

Brown says the KSP investigation is substantially complete & has been turned over the the Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney & has been shared with the FBI. The file will stay open pending review by the Jefferson Co Commonwealth Attorney.

Brown says nothing in the investigation suggests any change from the sequence of events previously discussed (that McAtee fired, then was struck by return fire). He says the US Attorney has asked that no further information be released at this time, which they will honor.

Q: Recommendation on how often to get tested? Beshear: Our office gets tested every two weeks. Once a month is the longest I would go, especially if you're interacting w a lot of people. For restaurant workers maybe every two weeks.

That's it for today's briefing with @GovAndyBeshear. He says he anticipates daily briefings through Thursday this week. Keep a eye on wfpl.org for news!