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REPLAY: Talking coronavirus with Louisville health department's Rui Zhao
Louisville Courier-Journal
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Seven Kentuckians have been tested for the coronavirus, Gov. Steve Beshear announced in a press conference Thursday afternoon.

Of those tested, four have come back negative and three results are still pending.

Three hours earlier, Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack spoke to the House Committee on Health and Family Services.

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Because the coronavirus situation is rapidly evolving, Stack noted that all data he and other state officials provide is done with a so-called "freshness date." The number of people being monitored for the the COVID-19 coronavirus can fluctuate rapidly as officials learn more about where they reside and how long ago they'd had a potential contact with the disease.

a group of people standing in front of a crowd: A fan wears a medical mask while watching Kentucky play Tennessee Tuesday night. The NCAA has created a coronavirus committee and stated no changes planned yet to the 2020 college basketball tournament. March 3, 2020 © Matt Stone/Courier Journal A fan wears a medical mask while watching Kentucky play Tennessee Tuesday night. The NCAA has created a coronavirus committee and stated no changes planned yet to the 2020 college basketball tournament. March 3, 2020

"I'll resist, in any setting, trying to speculate on current data more recently because it's just safer to have a single data reporting point," Stack said.

Stack said the health department's laboratory in Frankfort has committed to providing same-day results for coronavirus tests received by noon. Tests received later than noon will be reported the next day.

But in the weeks ahead, with the expected availability of private lab testing, Stack anticipates an even more widespread availability of testing.

"We want to be as quick as we can with our information but also be as accurate at the same time to avoid unnecessary fear or undertreatment, depending on the error of the test," Stack said. 

Reach Tessa Duvall at tduvall@courier-journal.com and 502-582-4059. Twitter: @TessaDuvall. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/subscribe. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Beshear: Seven people tested for coronavirus in Kentucky

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